JP7646232B2 - Gaming Machines - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to gaming machines, and can be applied in particular to pachinko gaming machines.

Conventionally, there are known gaming machines such as pachinko machines that perform a special game in which identification information is displayed variably based on the entry of a gaming ball into a starting hole, and when the identification information stops and displays in a specific manner, a predetermined benefit can be given to the player. In addition to the special game, there are gaming machines of this type that can give a player a predetermined benefit by shortening the time for which the identification information changes, increasing the frequency at which gaming balls enter the starting hole, or increasing the probability at which the identification information stops and displays in a specific manner, in addition to the special game. In relation to the granting of this benefit, there is a type of gaming machine that performs a game (hereinafter also referred to as a "benefit determination game") during the special game in which it is determined whether or not a benefit is granted based on whether or not the gaming ball has passed (passed/not passed) through a specific area provided inside a specific variable ball entry hole (V attacker) (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2012-245172 A

Some gaming machines equipped with the aforementioned bonus determination game have two opening patterns for the V Attacker: one in which the probability of the game ball passing through the specific area is high, and another in which the probability of the game ball passing through the specific area is low (passage is impossible). During the bonus determination game, the V Attacker is opened in one of the opening patterns. With this configuration, it is possible to easily set up special games in which bonuses are awarded (e.g., special jackpots) and special games in which bonuses are not awarded (e.g., regular jackpots). However, with this configuration, by watching the movement (opening pattern) of the V Attacker each time a special game is played, the player may be able to easily determine the result of the bonus determination game even before the result is revealed by the presentation or the like. Being able to easily determine (predict) the result of the bonus determination game (whether or not the game ball passes through the specific area) in this way may lead to a decrease in interest in the game.

The present invention was made in consideration of the above circumstances, and its purpose is to make it difficult to distinguish the state in which the gaming ball passes through a specific area during a bonus-determining game, thereby increasing the enjoyment of gaming machines equipped with bonus-determining games.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention employs the following configuration.
That is, the gaming machine according to the first aspect of the present invention is as follows:
An identification information display means for variably displaying identification information based on the entry of a game ball into a starting hole;
a special game execution means for executing a special game based on the identification information being stopped and displayed in a specific manner;
A variable ball entrance that can be opened to allow game balls to enter;
A movable member capable of guiding a game ball that has entered the variable ball entrance to a specific area or a non-specific area;
A bonus awarding means for awarding a predetermined bonus based on the fact that the gaming ball that entered the variable ball entrance passes through the specific area;
a bonus determination game execution means for executing a bonus determination game in which the variable ball entrance is opened at a predetermined time during the special game, and whether or not the bonus is to be awarded is determined based on whether or not the game ball passes through the specific area;
A ball entry detection means capable of detecting entry of a game ball into the variable ball entry opening;
A gaming machine equipped with a discharge detection means capable of detecting the discharge of a gaming ball from the variable ball entrance ,
the movable member is operable when the number of balls detected by the ball detection means reaches a predetermined value during the bonus game,
When the movable member is not in motion, the game ball cannot pass through the specific area, and when the movable member is in motion and in a motion state, the game ball can pass through the specific area;
The operation modes of the movable member when it operates in the bonus determination game include a first operation mode in which the movable member is in the operation state for a first time when the number of detections by the ball entry detection means reaches the predetermined value, and a second operation mode in which the movable member is in the operation state for a second time longer than the first time, which is an operation performed after the operation in the first operation mode;
When the movable member operates in the second operating mode, the possibility of the game ball passing through the specific area is higher than when the movable member operates in the first operating mode;
The special game execution means may execute, as the special game, a first special game in which the movable member is operable in the first operation mode and inoperable in the second operation mode in the bonus determination game, or may execute a second special game in which the movable member is operable in the first operation mode and in which the movable member is operable in the second operation mode after an operation according to the first operation mode in the bonus determination game,
When the identification information is statically displayed in the specific manner, the identification information is statically displayed in any one of a plurality of predetermined specific manners,
the plurality of specific modes includes a predetermined specific mode that can be displayed in a stopped state when the first special game and the second special game are executed ,
By determining whether the number of balls entering the variable ball entrance matches the number of balls discharged, an abnormality in which the number of balls entering and the number of balls discharged do not match is monitored.
It is characterized by the following.
In addition, the gaming machine of related invention 1 is as follows:
An identification information display means for variably displaying identification information based on the entry of a game ball into a starting hole;
a special game execution means for executing a special game based on the identification information being stopped and displayed in a specific manner;
A variable ball entrance that can be opened to allow game balls to enter;
A movable member capable of guiding a game ball that has entered the variable ball entrance to a specific area or a non-specific area;
A bonus awarding means for awarding a predetermined bonus based on the fact that the gaming ball that entered the variable ball entrance passes through the specific area;
a bonus determination game execution means for executing a bonus determination game in which the variable ball entrance is opened at a predetermined time during the special game, and whether or not the bonus is to be awarded is determined based on whether or not the game ball passes through the specific area;
A ball entry detection means capable of detecting entry of a game ball into the variable ball entry opening;
A gaming machine equipped with a discharge detection means capable of detecting the discharge of a gaming ball that has entered the variable ball entrance,
Based on the detection results of the ball entry detection means and the ball discharge detection means, it is possible to determine whether the number of balls entering and the number of balls discharged from the variable ball entry port match,
the movable member is operable when the number of balls detected by the ball detection means reaches a predetermined value during the bonus game,
When the movable member is not in operation, the specific area is closed and the game ball cannot pass through the specific area, and when the movable member is in operation, the specific area is opened and the game ball can pass through the specific area;
The predetermined value includes a first predetermined value and a second predetermined value that is greater than the first predetermined value,
the movable member operates in a first operating mode when the detection number becomes the first predetermined value, and operates in a second operating mode when the detection number becomes the second predetermined value,
the first operation mode is a mode in which the movable member is in the operating state for a first time;
the second operation mode is a mode in which the movable member is in the operating state for a second time period that is longer than the first time period;
When the movable member operates in the second operating mode, the possibility of the game ball passing through the specific area is higher than when the movable member operates in the first operating mode;
the special game execution means may execute a first special game or a second special game as the special game;
In the case where the first special game is executed, in the benefit determination game during the first special game, when the detection number reaches the first predetermined value, the movable member moves in the first operation mode, whereas when the detection number reaches the second predetermined value, the movable member does not move;
In the case where the second special game is executed, in the benefit determination game during the second special game, when the detection number reaches the first predetermined value, the movable member operates in the first operation mode, and when the detection number reaches the second predetermined value, the movable member operates in the second operation mode;
When the identification information is statically displayed in the specific manner, the identification information is statically displayed in any one of a plurality of predetermined specific manners,
The plurality of specific modes include a predetermined specific mode that can be displayed in a stopped state when the first special game is being played and when the second special game is being played.
In addition, the gaming machine of related invention 2 is as follows:
An identification information display means for variably displaying identification information based on the entry of a game ball into a starting hole;
a special game execution means for executing a special game based on the identification information being stopped and displayed in a specific manner;
A variable ball entrance that can be opened to allow game balls to enter;
A movable member capable of guiding a game ball that has entered the variable ball entrance to a specific area or a non-specific area;
A bonus awarding means for awarding a predetermined bonus based on the fact that the gaming ball that entered the variable ball entrance passes through the specific area;
a bonus determination game execution means for executing a bonus determination game in which the variable ball entrance is opened at a predetermined time during the special game, and whether or not the bonus is to be awarded is determined based on whether or not the game ball passes through the specific area;
A ball entry detection means capable of detecting entry of a game ball into the variable ball entry opening;
A ball entry counting means for counting the number of game balls that enter the game detected by the ball entry detection means;
A discharge detection means capable of detecting the discharge of a game ball that has entered the variable ball entrance;
A discharge number counting means for counting the number of discharged game balls detected by the discharge detection means,
The game ball that enters the variable ball entrance is discharged through the specific area or the non-specific area,
A gaming machine including a determination means for determining whether or not the number of game balls entering the variable ball entrance coincides with the number of game balls discharged based on the counting results of the ball entrance counting means and the ball discharge counting means,
the movable member is operable when a count value of the ball counting means reaches a predetermined value in the bonus game,
When the movable member is not in operation, the specific area is closed and the game ball cannot pass through the specific area, and when the movable member is in operation, the specific area is opened and the game ball can pass through the specific area;
The predetermined value includes a first predetermined value and a second predetermined value that is greater than the first predetermined value,
the movable member operates in a first operating mode when the count value becomes the first predetermined value, and operates in a second operating mode when the count value becomes the second predetermined value,
the first operation mode is a mode in which the movable member is in the operating state for a first time;
the second operation mode is a mode in which the movable member is in the operating state for a second time period that is longer than the first time period;
When the movable member operates in the second operating mode, the possibility of the game ball passing through the specific area is higher than when the movable member operates in the first operating mode;
When the identification information is statically displayed in the specific manner, the identification information is statically displayed in any one of a plurality of predetermined specific manners,
The plurality of specific aspects include a first specific aspect and a second specific aspect,
In the case where the identification information is displayed in the first specific manner and the special game is executed, in the bonus determination game during the special game, when the count value reaches the first predetermined value, the movable member operates in the first operating manner, whereas when the count value reaches the second predetermined value, the movable member does not operate;
In the bonus determination game during the special game when the identification information is displayed stopped in the second specific manner and the special game is executed, the movable member operates in the first operating manner when the count value reaches the first predetermined value, and the movable member operates in the second operating manner when the count value reaches the second predetermined value.

In addition, the gaming machine of the present invention is
An identification information display means for variably displaying identification information based on the entry of a game ball into a starting hole;
a special game execution means for executing a special game based on the identification information being stopped and displayed in a specific manner;
A variable ball entrance that can be opened to allow game balls to enter;
A movable member capable of guiding a game ball that has entered the variable ball entrance to a specific area or a non-specific area;
A bonus awarding means for awarding a predetermined bonus based on the fact that the gaming ball that entered the variable ball entrance passes through the specific area;
a bonus determination game execution means for executing a bonus determination game in which the variable ball entrance is opened at a predetermined time during the special game, and whether or not the bonus is to be awarded is determined based on whether or not the game ball passes through the specific area;
A ball entry detection means capable of detecting entry of a game ball into the variable ball entry opening;
A ball entry counting means for counting the number of game balls that enter the game detected by the ball entry detection means;
A discharge detection means capable of detecting the discharge of a game ball that has entered the variable ball entrance;
A discharge number counting means for counting the number of discharged game balls detected by the discharge detection means,
the movable member is operable when a count value of the ball counting means reaches a predetermined value in the bonus game,
The predetermined value includes at least a first predetermined value and a second predetermined value,
The probability that the game ball will pass through the specific area is higher when the count value reaches the second predetermined value and the movable member operates than when the count value reaches the first predetermined value and the movable member operates;
When the identification information is statically displayed in the specific manner, the identification information is statically displayed in any one of a plurality of predetermined specific manners,
In the special game in which the identification information is stopped and displayed in the specific mode and the special game is executed, the opening pattern of the variable ball entrance is made the same regardless of the type of the specific mode that is stopped and displayed in the special game.
The game ball that enters the variable ball entrance is discharged through the specific area or the non-specific area,
The device is characterized by having a judgment means for judging whether the number of game balls entering the variable ball entrance port and the number of balls ejected match based on the counting results of the entering ball number counting means and the ejected ball number counting means.

In addition, the gaming machine of the first invention comprises:
An identification information display means for variably displaying identification information based on the entry of a game ball into a starting hole;
a special game execution means for executing a special game based on the identification information being stopped and displayed in a specific manner;
A variable ball entrance that can be opened to allow game balls to enter;
A movable member capable of guiding a game ball that has entered the variable ball entrance to a specific area;
A bonus awarding means for awarding a predetermined bonus based on at least one of the game balls that entered the variable ball entrance passing through the specific area;
a bonus determination game execution means for executing a bonus determination game in which the variable ball entrance is opened at a predetermined time during the special game, and whether or not the bonus is to be awarded is determined based on whether or not the game ball passes through the specific area;
A game ball detection means capable of detecting a game ball that has entered the variable ball entrance;
A counting means for counting the number of game balls detected by the game ball detection means;
Equipped with
The movable member is operated when the count value of the counting means reaches a predetermined value during the bonus determination game,
The predetermined value is variable.
In the gaming machine of the first invention, when a gaming ball enters the variable ball entrance during a bonus game, the gaming ball is detected by the gaming ball detection means, and the number of detected gaming balls is counted by the counting means. Then, the movable member is operated based on the count value by the counting means during the bonus game becoming a predetermined value, and the predetermined value that triggers the operation is variable. When the predetermined value that triggers the operation of the movable member changes, the operation timing of the movable member changes, so by configuring the predetermined value that triggers the operation of the movable member to be variable, it is possible to provide variation in the operation timing of the movable member during the bonus game. This makes it possible to make it difficult to determine the state of the gaming ball passing through a specific area during the bonus game, such as "at what timing the gaming ball that entered the variable ball entrance can pass through the specific area" or "whether the gaming ball has passed through the specific area."

The gaming machine of the second invention is the gaming machine of the first invention,
There are multiple types of specific aspects,
When the identification information is displayed in the specific manner, the identification information is displayed in any one of the plurality of specific manners,
When the identification information is displayed statically in the specific manner, the predetermined value can be changed depending on the type of the specific manner.

In the gaming machine of the second invention, when the identification information is stopped and displayed in one of a number of specific modes, the predetermined value that triggers the operation of the movable member can change depending on the type of specific mode. This makes it possible to vary the operation timing of the movable member depending on the type of specific mode that triggers the execution of a special game, thereby diversifying the operation timing. As a result, it becomes possible to make it more difficult to determine the state in which the gaming ball has passed through a specific area during a bonus-determining game.

A gaming machine according to a third aspect of the present invention is the gaming machine according to the first or second aspect of the present invention,
The bonus determination game is executed multiple times during the special game,
The predetermined value may be changed in each of a plurality of bonus determination games played during the special game.

In the gaming machine of the third invention, the bonus determination game is executed multiple times during the special game, and the predetermined value that triggers the operation of the movable member can change for each bonus determination game, so it is possible to vary the operation timing of the movable member in each bonus determination game. This makes it difficult to determine whether the gaming ball has passed through a specific area in multiple bonus determination games.

A fourth aspect of the present invention is a gaming machine according to any one of the first to third aspects of the present invention,
When there are a plurality of the predetermined values for one bonus determination game, the movable member operates each time the count value by the counting means in the bonus determination game reaches one of the plurality of predetermined values, and at least one of the plurality of predetermined values can change.

In the gaming machine of the fourth invention, there are multiple predetermined values that trigger the operation of the movable member in one bonus-determining game, and the movable member operates each time the count value by the counting means in the bonus-determining game reaches each of the multiple predetermined values. In other words, the movable member operates multiple times during one bonus-determining game. The predetermined value that triggers at least one of the multiple operations of the movable member can change. This allows the timing of at least one of the multiple operations of the movable member in one bonus-determining game to change, making it difficult to determine whether the gaming ball has passed through a specific area.

According to the present invention, it is possible to make it difficult to determine whether the game ball has passed through a specific area during the bonus-determining game, thereby increasing the interest of the gaming machine equipped with the bonus-determining game.

1 is a front view of a gaming machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. 2 is a rear view of the gaming machine according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. FIG. 2 is a front view showing the configuration of a game board according to an embodiment of the present invention. 4 is an enlarged view of the main display shown in FIG. 3, showing displays provided in the gaming machine. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the gaming machine. FIG. This is a table showing the correspondence between the type of jackpot and the opening pattern of the jackpot opening. 13 is a table showing various random numbers acquired by the game control microcomputer. (A) is a jackpot determination table, (B) is a jackpot type determination table, (C) is a normal pattern hit determination table, and (D) is a normal pattern change pattern selection table. This is a fluctuation pattern table. 13 is a flowchart of a main control process. 13 is a flowchart of an interrupt process. 13 is a flowchart of a start port sensor detection process. 13 is a flowchart of a general operation process. 13 is a flowchart of normal symbol waiting processing. This is a flowchart of the normal pattern correctness determination process. 13 is a flowchart of normal pattern random number shift processing. This is a flowchart of processing during normal pattern change. 13 is a flowchart of the normal pattern determination process. 13 is a flowchart of normal electric device processing. 13 is a flowchart of special chart operation processing. 13 is a flowchart of a special symbol waiting process. This is a flowchart of the special chart 2 correctness determination process. This is a flowchart of the special chart 2 variation pattern selection process. This is a flowchart of the special chart 2 variation pattern selection process. FIG. 2 is a flowchart of random number shift processing. This is a flowchart of the special drawing 1 correct/incorrect determination process. This is a flowchart of the special chart 1 variation pattern selection process. This is a flowchart of the special chart 1 variation pattern selection process. FIG. 1 is a flowchart of random number shift processing. This is a flowchart of processing during special pattern change. 13 is a flowchart of a special symbol determination process. This is a flowchart for processing special electric devices (jackpot play). 13 is a flowchart of a V round process. 13 is a flowchart of a game status setting process. 13 is a flowchart of a specific area sensor detection process. 13 is a flowchart of a non-specific area sensor detection process. This is a flowchart of the processing at the time of the initial goal. 13 is a flowchart of a power interruption monitoring process. 13 is a flowchart of a sub-control main process. 13 is a flowchart of a reception interrupt process. 13 is a flowchart of a 2 ms timer interrupt process. 13 is a flowchart of a 10 ms timer interrupt process. 13 is a flowchart of a received command analysis process. 13 is a flowchart of a received command analysis process. This is a flowchart for starting a variable performance. A schematic diagram of the second large prize device. This is a table showing the correspondence between the type of jackpot and the timing of movable piece operation (first specified value and second specified value) in a V round. A timing chart showing the relationship between the second large prize opening sensor and a specific area (movable piece). This is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a presentation (a special chance challenge presentation) that is performed in the event of a 7R jackpot. A table showing the correspondence between the type of jackpot in Example 2 and the timing of movable piece operation in V round (first specified value and second specified value). 13 is a flowchart of a non-specific area sensor detection process according to the second embodiment.

Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described using an example. In the following, an example will be described in which the present invention is applied to a pachinko gaming machine that can execute a winning game that can award a player a predetermined amount of gaming profit (e.g., prize balls) when a winning pattern is displayed stationary as the display of changing patterns ends.

As shown in Figures 1 to 3, the pachinko game machine 1 of the first embodiment includes a game machine frame 50 and a game board 2 attached within the game machine frame 50, and the game board 2 is configured to be freely attached and detached from the game machine frame 50. Figure 3 shows the game board 2 removed from the game machine frame 50. The game machine frame 50 is configured to have a front frame 51 with a decorative surface, a main frame 52 to which the game board 2 and the like are attached, and an outer frame 53 for attaching the pachinko game machine 1 to the island equipment of the hall, and the front frame 51, the main frame 52, and the outer frame 53 are supported on one side end and each is configured to be openable and closable.

The front frame 51 is also provided with a launch handle 60 for launching game balls with a launch strength according to the amount of operation (rotation angle) by the player, a ball supply tray (upper tray) 61 that can store game balls and supply them to the launching device, and a surplus ball receiving tray (lower tray) 62 that stores game balls that cannot be accommodated in the ball supply tray 61. The front frame 51 is also provided with a first effect button 63a and a second effect button 63b (collectively referred to as "effect button 63") that can be operated by the player during the execution of game effects that are executed as the game progresses. The multiple effect buttons can be used differently depending on the type of game effect.

The front frame 51 is also provided with a decorative frame lamp 66 and a speaker 67. The configuration of the performance button 63 is not limited to the embodiment, and may be any type capable of detecting input from the player, or may be a means for the player to directly touch the button to input (for example, a retractable type, a touch sensor type, etc.), or may be a non-contact input means (photoelectric type, etc.) that detects the proximity of a part of the player's body and inputs. The game board 2 is formed with a game area 3 surrounded by a rail member 4, where game balls launched by operating the launch handle 60 flow down. The game board 2 is also provided with a decorative board lamp 5. A plurality of game nails 16 that guide the game balls are protruding from the game area 3. A ball return prevention piece 6 is provided at the tip of the rail member 4, which can prevent game balls once guided to the game area from returning to the launching device.

In addition, near the center of the game area 3, an image display device 7 consisting of a liquid crystal display device is provided. A display screen 7a of the image display device 7 is provided with a performance pattern display area 7b (also called a "performance pattern display section") in which performance patterns 8L, 8C, and 8R (also simply called "performance pattern 8") are displayed, and the performance patterns 8L, 8C, and 8R are displayed in synchronization with the display of the first special pattern and the display of the second special pattern, which will be described later. The performance pattern display area 7b is composed of three pattern display areas, for example, "left", "middle", and "right", and the left pattern display area displays the left performance pattern 8L, the middle pattern display area displays the middle performance pattern 8C, and the right pattern display area displays the right performance pattern 8R. In addition, the performance patterns 8L, 8C, and 8R each consist of a plurality of patterns (identification information) representing, for example, numbers from "1" to "9". The left, center, and right performance patterns displayed in a stopped state in performance pattern display area 7b display the results of the first special pattern variation display displayed on first special pattern display device 41a (also called the "first special pattern display section") (described below in FIG. 4) and the results of the second special pattern variation display displayed on second special pattern display device 41b (also called the "second special pattern display section") (i.e., the results of the special pattern hit/miss judgment (also simply called "hit/miss judgment")) in a way that is easy for the player to recognize. Note that the first special pattern, second special pattern, or performance pattern may also be referred to simply as "pattern" or "identification information."

For example, if the result of the special symbol hit/miss judgment is a jackpot, it is possible to stop and display the performance symbols in the form of three identical digits such as "777" (also called "jackpot performance symbols"), pre-set chance symbols such as "135", or special symbols such as "3★3" (also called "special symbols"). Also, if the result is a miss, it is possible to stop and display the performance symbols in the form of scattered numbers (also called "miss performance symbols") in which at least one of the three symbols is different, such as "637" or "373". This allows the player to easily grasp the progress of the game by looking at the performance symbols that are stopped and displayed. In other words, the player generally does not directly grasp the result of the special symbol hit/miss judgment by looking at the special symbols displayed on the first special symbol display 41a or the second special symbol display 41b, but by looking at the performance symbols displayed in the performance symbol display area 7b. In addition, the left, center, and right pattern display areas do not need to be positioned separately, and the left, center, and right performance pattern display areas may each be the entire pattern display area (performance pattern display area 7b). In addition, the manner in which the performance pattern is displayed can be, for example, scrolled up and down, left and right, diagonally, etc.

On the display screen 7a of the image display device 7, in addition to displaying the game performance (performance pattern game performance) using the performance pattern as described above, the jackpot game performance (special game performance) executed in conjunction with the jackpot game and the demo performance for waiting customers are displayed. In addition to the performance pattern game performance, the jackpot game performance and the demo performance, in addition to the performance pattern such as numbers, performance images other than the performance pattern such as background images and character images are also displayed. In addition, the display screen 7a of the image display device 7 has a first performance hold display area 9c (first performance hold display section) that displays the first performance hold 9a according to the number of storage of the first special pattern hold described later, and a second performance hold display area 9d (second performance hold display section) that displays the second performance hold 9b according to the number of storage of the second special pattern hold described later. Depending on the display mode (display number) of the first effect hold or the second effect hold, the number of first special chart holds stored in memory displayed on the first special chart hold display 43a (see FIG. 4) described below and the number of second special chart holds stored in memory displayed on the second special chart hold display 43b can be clearly shown to the player.

Near the center of the game area 3 and in front of the image display device 7, a center ornament 10 is provided so as to surround the performance pattern display area 7b. At the bottom of the center ornament 10, a stage section 11 is provided, which has a game ball rolling surface on which the game ball can roll. A hollow warp section 12 is provided at the left side of the center ornament 10. The warp section 12 is provided with a warp entrance and a warp exit, and receives game balls flowing down the game area 3 from the warp entrance, discharges the game balls from the warp exit, and guides them to the stage section 11. Game balls guided to the rolling surface of the stage section 11 are more likely to enter the first starting hole 20 described below than game balls that are not guided to the stage section 11. Furthermore, at the top of the center ornament 10, a decorative member 13 is arranged, which has an electric member such as an LED (board lamp 5) that can be lit depending on the game status and is shaped like letters, figures, etc.

In addition, a movable decorative member 14 that can move with the game performance is provided at the top of the center decorative body 10 and behind the decorative member 13. In FIG. 3, only a part of the movable decorative member 14 is visible, but for example, with the execution of a game performance with a relatively high probability of winning, the movable decorative member falls downward, covers the front of the display screen 7a, and most of it becomes visible. This increases the player's anticipation of winning. Below the image display device 7 in the game area 3, a fixed winning device 19 is provided, which has a non-variable first starting hole 20 that does not change the ease of entry of the game ball. Based on the entry of the game ball into the first starting hole 20, a random number for determining whether the special pattern has been hit or not is obtained, and when a predetermined condition is established, a hit/miss determination for the first special pattern (first special pattern hit/miss determination) is executed, and the first special pattern is displayed in a variable manner, and is displayed stationary based on the result of the hit/miss determination.

To the right of the image display device 7 in the game area 3, a variable winning device 22 (also called a "variable starting hole") is provided, which is equipped with a variable second starting hole 21 in which the ease of entry of the game ball changes. Based on the entry of the game ball into the second starting hole 21, a random number for determining whether or not the special symbol has been hit is acquired, and when a predetermined condition is met, a hit/miss determination of the second special symbol (second special symbol hit/miss determination) is executed, and the second special symbol is displayed in a variable manner, and is displayed as a still image based on the result of the hit/miss determination. The variable winning device 22 is equipped with an opening/closing member (wing member) 23, and opens and closes the second starting hole 21 by the operation of the opening/closing member 23. By this opening/closing operation, the second starting hole 21 can be changed from a first state (closed state) to a second state (open state) in which the possibility of the game ball being hit is higher than the first state. The opening/closing member 23 is driven by a second starting hole solenoid 24 (see FIG. 5). In this embodiment, the second starting hole 21 allows game balls to enter only when the opening/closing member 23 is in the open state, and does not allow game balls to enter when the opening/closing member 23 is in the closed state. Note that the second starting hole 21 does not have to be completely unable to allow game balls to enter when the opening/closing member 23 is in the closed state, so long as it is more difficult for game balls to enter when the opening/closing member 23 is in the closed state than when the opening/closing member 23 is in the open state.

To the right of the first starting hole 20 in the game area 3, a first large prize winning device 31 (also called the "first variable ball winning hole") with a first large prize winning hole 30 and a second large prize winning device 36 (also called the "second variable ball winning hole") with a second large prize winning hole 35 are provided, and in this embodiment, the second large prize winning device 36 (second large prize winning hole 35) is located directly above the first large prize winning device 31 (first large prize winning hole 30). The first large prize winning device 31 has an opening and closing member 32, and opens and closes the first large prize winning hole 30 by operating the opening and closing member 32. The opening and closing member 32 is driven by a first large prize winning hole solenoid 33 (see FIG. 5). The first large prize winning hole 30 can receive game balls only when the opening and closing member 32 is in the open state. That is, when the first variable ball entry port 31 is activated, the opening and closing member 32 opens and closes, and the first large prize entry port 30 can be changed between a ball entry-disabled state (closed state) in which game balls cannot enter, and a ball entry-enabled state (open state) in which game balls can enter.

The second large prize winning device 36 is provided with an opening/closing member 37, and the second large prize winning opening 35 is opened and closed by the operation of the opening/closing member 37. The opening/closing member 37 is driven by a second large prize winning opening solenoid 38 (see FIG. 5). The second large prize winning opening 35 can receive game balls only when the opening/closing member 37 is in the open state. In other words, when the second variable ball winning opening 36 is operated, the opening and closing action of the opening/closing member 37 can change the second large prize winning opening 35 between a ball-entry-disabled state (closed state) in which game balls cannot enter and a ball-entry-enabled state (open state) in which game balls can enter. The second large prize winning device 36 is configured to include a specific area 39 and a non-specific area 49 through which the game ball that entered the second large prize winning opening 35 can pass, and a movable piece 150 for guiding (distributing) the game ball that entered the second large prize winning opening 35 to the specific area 39 or the non-specific area 49. The movable piece 150 operates based on the number of game balls detected by the second large prize winning opening sensor 35a described later, and is driven by a movable piece solenoid 151 (see FIG. 5). When the movable piece solenoid 151 is OFF, that is, when the movable piece 150 is not operating (non-operating state), the game ball that entered the second large prize winning opening 35 is guided to the non-specific area 49 (area other than the specific area) and cannot pass through the specific area 39. On the other hand, when the movable piece solenoid 151 is ON, that is, when the movable piece 150 is operating (operating state), the game ball that entered the second large winning opening 35 is guided to the specific area 39 and can pass through the specific area 39 (hereinafter also referred to as "V passing"). In this pachinko game machine 1, a high probability state described below is generated based on the detection that at least one of the game balls that entered the second large winning opening 35 has passed through the specific area 39. In other words, the specific area 39 is a sure-win operation opening. Such a specific area 39 is not provided in the first large winning device 31. Details of the opening of the second large winning opening 35 (opening operation of the opening and closing member 37) and the operation of the movable piece 150 will be described later. The movable piece 150 corresponds to one aspect of the "movable member" of the present invention. In addition, the high probability state is one of the game benefits that are given to the player separately from the special game.

Here, the configuration of the second large prize winning device 36 will be described in detail. FIG. 46 is a schematic diagram showing the second large prize winning device 36. The game balls that enter the second large prize winning port 35 pass through a predetermined game ball guide passage in the second large prize winning device and all pass through the second large prize winning port sensor 35a (also called the "ball entry detection means" or "ball entry detection sensor"). The second large prize winning port sensor 35a is a sensor for detecting the entry of game balls into the second large prize winning port 35, and it is possible to count the number of balls that enter the second large prize winning port 35 based on the detection by the second large prize winning port sensor 35a. When the game balls are detected by the second large prize winning port sensor 35a, the number of detections (i.e., the number of balls that enter) is counted by round by a ball entry counting means (not shown) provided in the RAM of the main control unit 80 described later. This counting result (count value) is cleared when the interval time between rounds has elapsed.

In addition, a gaming ball that is detected by (has passed through) the second large prize opening sensor 35a will then pass through a specified gaming ball guide passage and always pass through the specific area 39 or the non-specific area 49. Note that a gaming ball can only pass through the specific area 39 when the movable piece 150 is in operation (operating state), in other words, only when the specific area 39 is open (see FIG. 46(b)). A specific area sensor 39a is provided in the specific area 39, and a gaming ball that passes through the specific area 39 is detected by the specific area sensor 39a. In addition, a non-specific area sensor 49a is provided in the non-specific area 49, and a gaming ball that passes through the non-specific area 49 is detected by the non-specific area sensor 49a. The specific area sensor 39a and the non-specific area detection sensor 49a are also sensors for detecting the discharge of game balls from the second large prize opening 35, and it is possible to count the number of balls discharged from the second large prize opening 35 based on the detection by the specific area sensor 39a and the non-specific area detection sensor 49a. When game balls are detected by the specific area sensor 39a or the non-specific area detection sensor 49a, the number of detections (i.e., the number of balls discharged) is counted on a round-by-round basis by a discharge number counting means (not shown) provided in the RAM of the main control unit 80, which will be described later. This counting result (count value) is cleared when the interval time between rounds has elapsed.

The number of game balls detected by the specific area sensor 39a is counted as the number of game balls passing through the specific area by a specific area passing counting means (not shown) provided in the RAM of the main control unit 80 described later, and the number of game balls detected by the non-specific area sensor 49a is counted as the number of game balls passing through the non-specific area by a non-specific area passing counting means (not shown) provided in the RAM of the main control unit 80 described later. These counts are also performed on a round-by-round basis, and the counting results (count values) are cleared when the interval time has elapsed. The specific area sensor 39a (also referred to as the "first discharge detection means" or "first discharge detection sensor") and the non-specific area detection sensor 49a (also referred to as the "second discharge detection means" or "second discharge detection sensor") that detect the discharge of game balls that have entered the second large winning opening 35 are collectively referred to as the "discharge detection means" or "discharge detection sensor".

In this embodiment, the control program of the main control unit 80 counts the number of game balls entering the second large winning opening 35 and the number of balls discharged, and based on the counting result, it is possible to monitor the occurrence of abnormalities or fraud related to the entry of balls into the second large winning device 36 (second large winning opening 35) having the specific area 39 by judging whether the number of balls entering and the number of balls discharged match. Inside the second large winning device 36 (second large winning opening 35), a movable piece 150 for opening and closing the specific area 39 is operated, so there is a risk that the game ball will get stuck in the movable piece 150 and become stuck in the second large winning device 36 (second large winning opening 35). When such a ball jam occurs, the game ball that entered the second large winning opening 35 will not be discharged thereafter, so the number of balls entering and the number of balls discharged will not match. By monitoring the number of balls entering and the number of balls discharged in this way, it is possible to check whether the ball jam occurs. In addition, even if the specific area sensor 39a detects game balls due to fraudulent activities such as string-hanging tricks, the number of balls entered and the number of balls discharged will not match, so it is possible to monitor for fraudulent activities based on this and prevent unexpected losses from occurring.

In the right area of the center decoration 10 in the game area 3, a gate 28 (game ball passage port) through which the game ball can pass is provided. Based on the passage of the game ball through the gate 28, a random number for determining whether or not the normal pattern is a winning symbol is obtained, and when a predetermined condition is met, a normal pattern winning/losing determination is executed to determine whether or not the second starting port 21 is opened, and the normal pattern is displayed in a variable manner, and is displayed as a stopped state based on the result of the normal pattern winning/losing determination. When the winning normal pattern is displayed as a stopped state, the second starting port 21 is opened. In addition, a plurality of general winning ports 27 are provided at the bottom of the game area 3. The game area 3 in which various ball entry ports (winning ports) are arranged in this way can be divided into a left game area (first game area) 3A on the left side of the center in the left-right direction, and a right game area (second game area) 3B on the right side. A hitting method in which the game ball is shot so that it flows down the left game area 3A is called a left hit, and a hitting method in which the game ball is shot so that it flows down the right game area 3B is called a right hit. In this pachinko game machine 1, when the game starts, the player hits left to aim for the ball to enter the first start hole 20. On the other hand, when the hit/miss judgment based on the ball entering the first start hole 20 is a hit and the game state changes, the player hits right to aim for the ball to enter the gate 28, the second start hole 21, the first large prize hole 30, and the second large prize hole 35. Then, when the game ball enters the first start hole 20, the second start hole 21, the first large prize hole 30, the second large prize hole 35, and the general prize hole 27, a predetermined number of game balls (also called "prize balls") are paid out at each ball entry hole.

As shown in Figs. 3 and 4, the main display 40 is disposed at the lower right of the game board 2. The main display 40 includes a first special symbol display 41a (first special symbol display section) for displaying the first special symbol as a variable and a stationary display, a second special symbol display 41b (second special symbol display section) for displaying the second special symbol as a variable and a stationary display, and a regular symbol display 42 (regular symbol display section) for displaying the regular symbol as a variable and a stationary display. The main display 40 also includes a first special symbol reserved display 43a for displaying the number of hit/miss judgment information (first special symbol reserved) stored for the first special symbol, a second special symbol reserved display 43b for displaying the number of hit/miss judgment information (second special symbol reserved) stored for the second special symbol, and a regular symbol reserved display 44 for displaying the number of reserved operation (regular symbol reserved) stored for the regular symbol display 42.

The main display 40 also includes a win indicator 48 that indicates that the result of the first special symbol hit/miss judgment or the second special symbol hit/miss judgment is a hit, a round indicator 45 that indicates the number of rounds of the winning game to be executed when the result of the first special symbol hit/miss judgment or the second special symbol hit/miss judgment is a hit, a game state indicator 46 that indicates that the probability fluctuation function is activated, and a launch direction indicator 47 that indicates the launch direction of the game ball, i.e., whether it is a state in which it should be hit to the right or the left. The various indicators included in the main display 40 are displayed and controlled by the main control unit described later. The display of the first special symbol is triggered by the entry of a game ball into the first starting hole 20. The display of the second special symbol is triggered by the entry of a game ball into the second starting hole 21. In the following description, the first special symbol and the second special symbol may be collectively referred to as special symbols. In addition, the first special pattern display 41a and the second special pattern display 41b may be collectively referred to as the special pattern display unit 41. In addition, the first special pattern reserve display 43a and the second special pattern reserve display 43b may be collectively referred to as the special pattern reserve display unit 43.

In the special symbol display section 41, the special symbol (identification information) is displayed in a variable manner for a predetermined time, and then displayed in a stopped state, and the result of the lottery (special symbol hit/miss judgment, jackpot lottery) based on the ball entering the first start hole 20 or the second start hole 21 is announced by the stopped special symbol (stopped symbol). The stopped special symbol is one special symbol selected from a plurality of types of special symbols by the special symbol hit/miss judgment. If the stopped symbol is a predetermined specific special symbol (specific identification information, specific form) (i.e., a winning symbol such as a jackpot symbol or a small jackpot symbol), a special game (jackpot game) is played in which the first large prize hole 30 or the second large prize hole 35 is opened in an opening pattern according to the type of the stopped specific special symbol. The opening pattern of the large prize hole (first large prize hole 30 and second large prize hole 35) in the special game will be described later.

As shown in Figure 4, the first special symbol display 41a is composed of eight LEDs indicated by "i-p" and displays a special symbol according to the result of the first special symbol hit/miss judgment. In this embodiment, ten types of jackpots, "7R 1st to 10th jackpots", are provided as the result of the first special symbol hit/miss judgment (see Figure 8), and the LEDs of the first special symbol display 41a are capable of adopting a display mode (specific mode) according to each of the ten types of jackpots. Specifically, for example, if the result of the first special pattern hit/miss judgment is a "7R first jackpot," the three LEDs of "ijn" will be lit and the rest will be turned off (7R first jackpot pattern), if it is a "7R second jackpot," the three LEDs of "imn" will be lit and the rest will be turned off (7R second jackpot pattern), if it is a "7R third jackpot," the three LEDs of "jln" will be lit and the rest will be turned off (7R third jackpot pattern), if it is a "7R fourth jackpot," the three LEDs of "jkn" will be lit and the rest will be turned off (7R fourth jackpot pattern), and if it is a "7R fifth jackpot," the three LEDs of "kln" will be lit and the rest will be turned off (7R fifth jackpot pattern). In addition, if the result of the first special pattern hit/miss judgment is a "7R 6th jackpot," the three LEDs of "klp" will be lit and the rest will be turned off (7R 6th jackpot pattern), if it is a "7R 7th jackpot," the three LEDs of "kln" will be lit and the rest will be turned off (7R 7th jackpot pattern), if it is a "7R 8th jackpot," the three LEDs of "kop" will be lit and the rest will be turned off (7R 8th jackpot pattern), if it is a "7R 9th jackpot," the three LEDs of "nop" will be lit and the rest will be turned off (7R 9th jackpot pattern), and if it is a "7R 10th jackpot," the three LEDs of "lno" will be lit and the rest will be turned off (7R 10th jackpot pattern). Furthermore, if the result of the first special pattern judgment is "miss," one LED of "n" will be lit and the rest will be turned off (miss pattern).

On the other hand, the second special symbol display 41b is composed of eight LEDs indicated by "a-h" and displays a special symbol according to the result of the second special symbol hit/miss judgment. In this embodiment, two types of hits, "15R 11th hit" and "15R 12th hit", are provided as the result of the second special symbol hit/miss judgment (see FIG. 8), and the LEDs of the second special symbol display 41b can adopt a display mode (specific mode) according to each of the two types of hits. Specifically, for example, if the result of the second special symbol hit/miss judgment is "15R 11th hit", the four "acde" LEDs are turned on and the rest are turned off (15R 11th hit symbol), and if the result is "15R 12th hit", the four "bfgh" LEDs are turned on and the rest are turned off (15R 12th hit symbol). Additionally, if the result of the second special symbol judgment is a "miss," one LED of the "g" will be lit and the rest will be turned off (miss symbol).

Before the special symbol is displayed statically, the special symbol is displayed for a predetermined period of time, and the manner in which the special symbol is displayed can be such that the LEDs light up so that light flows repeatedly in a predetermined order, such as clockwise or counterclockwise.

In this pachinko game machine 1, when a game ball enters the first starting hole 20 or the second starting hole 21, various information (also called "acquired information") such as a random number for determining whether or not a special pattern has been drawn is acquired based on the ball entry, and the acquired various information is temporarily stored in the special pattern reservation memory unit 85 formed in the RAM of the main control unit. In detail, if the ball enters the first starting hole 20, it is stored in the first special pattern reservation memory unit 85a as the first special pattern reservation, and if the ball enters the second starting hole 21, it is stored in the second special pattern reservation memory unit 85b as the second special pattern reservation. An upper limit is set for the number of special pattern reservations that can be stored in each special pattern reservation memory unit 85, and in this embodiment, the upper limit is four. These first special pattern reservation memory unit 85a and second special pattern reservation memory unit 85b are also called the "first acquired information storage means" and the "second acquired information storage means", respectively, and are also collectively called the "acquired information storage means".

The reserved special symbols stored in the reserved special symbols memory unit 85 are consumed when it becomes possible to display the special symbols based on the reserved special symbols. Consumption of reserved special symbols means judging the random numbers for determining whether the special symbols correspond to the reserved special symbols, and executing the display of the special symbols to show the result of the judgment. Therefore, in this pachinko game machine 1, even if the display of the special symbols based on the ball entering the first start hole 20 or the second start hole 21 cannot be executed immediately at the time of the ball entering, that is, even if the display of the special symbols is being executed or a special game is being executed, the right to judge whether the special symbol is the right for the ball entering can be reserved up to a specified number.

The number of reserved special drawings is displayed on the first special drawing reserved indicator 43a and the second special drawing reserved indicator 43b. Specifically, the first special drawing reserved indicator 43a is composed of two LEDs, "u v", and displays the number of reserved first special drawings by controlling the display of the LEDs according to the number of reserved first special drawings. For example, when the reserved number is "0", the display mode is "u□v□" (for example, □: off, ●: red light, ▲: green light), in which both LEDs are off, and when the reserved number is "1", the display mode is "u□v●", in which the LED of "u" is off and the LED of "v" is lit in red. Also, when the reserved number is "2", the display mode is "u●v□", in which the LED of "u" is lit in red and the LED of "v" is off. Also, when the reserved number is "3", the display mode is "u●v●", in which both LEDs are lit in red. Also, when the number of reserved items is "4 (maximum number)," the display can be such that both LEDs light up green, like this: "u▲v▲."

On the other hand, the second special chart reserved indicator 43b is composed of two LEDs, "wx", and displays the number of second special chart reserved by controlling the display of the LEDs according to the number of second special chart reserved. For example, when the reserved number is "0", the display mode is "w□x□" (for example, □: off, ●: red lit, ▲: green lit), with both LEDs turned off, and the reserved numbers "1" to "4" are also determined in the same way as the first special chart reserved indicator 43a.

The normal symbol is displayed in a variable manner when the game ball passes through the gate 28. The normal symbol display 42 displays the normal symbol in a variable manner for a predetermined period of time, and then stops, and the normal symbol (stopped symbol) displayed in a stopped state notifies the player of the result of the normal symbol hit/miss judgment based on the game ball passing through the gate 28. The normal symbol displayed in a stopped state is one normal symbol selected from a plurality of types of normal symbols by the normal symbol hit/miss judgment. If the normal symbol displayed in a stopped state is a predetermined specific normal symbol (a winning normal symbol), an auxiliary game is played in which the second start hole 21 is opened in an opening pattern according to the current game state. The opening pattern of the second start hole 21 will be described later.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 4, the normal symbol display 42 is composed of two "st" LEDs, and displays the normal symbol according to the result of the normal symbol hit/miss judgment by the lighting state of the LEDs. For example, if the judgment result is a hit, a winning normal symbol with both LEDs lit is displayed as "s■t■" (for example, ■: lit, □: off). If the judgment result is a miss, a missing normal symbol with only the "t" LED lit is displayed as "s□t■". Note that a missing normal symbol is not a specific normal symbol. Before the normal symbol is displayed, a variable display of the normal symbol is executed for a predetermined fixed time, and the variable display state is, for example, a state in which both LEDs alternately light up and go out.

In this pachinko game machine 1, when a game ball passes through the gate 28, various information (also called "acquired information") such as a random number for determining whether a normal symbol is a winning symbol is acquired based on the passage, and the acquired information is temporarily stored as a normal symbol reserve in a normal symbol reserve memory unit 86 formed in the RAM of the main control unit. There is an upper limit set for the number of normal symbol reserves that can be stored in the normal symbol reserve memory unit 86, and in this embodiment, the upper limit is four.

The reserved normal figures stored in the reserved normal figures memory unit 86 are consumed when it becomes possible to display the normal pattern based on the reserved normal figures. The consumption of reserved normal figures means judging the random number for judging whether the normal pattern is correct or not corresponding to the reserved normal figures, and executing the variable display of the normal pattern to show the judgment result. Therefore, in this pachinko game machine 1, even if the variable display of the normal pattern based on the passage of the game ball to the gate 28 cannot be executed immediately at the time of the passage, that is, even if the variable display of the normal pattern is being executed or the auxiliary game is being executed, it is possible to reserve the right to judge whether the normal pattern is correct or not for the passage, up to a predetermined number. The number of reserved normal figures is displayed on the reserved normal figures display unit 44. Specifically, the reserved normal figures display unit 44 is composed of two LEDs, "qr", and displays the number of reserved normal figures by lighting the LEDs according to the number of reserved normal figures. For example, when the reserved number is "0", the display mode is "q□r□" (for example, □ is off, ● is red, ▲ is green), with both LEDs turned off, and when the reserved number is "1", the display mode is "q□r●", with the "q" LED turned off and the "r" LED lit in red. The reserved numbers "2" to "4" are also determined in the same way as the first special chart reserved indicator 43a.

Next, the electrical configuration of the pachinko game machine 1 will be described with reference to Figures 2 and 5. The pachinko game machine 1 of this embodiment includes a main control board 80 (also called the "main control unit" and "game control unit") that controls game profits such as special symbol hit/miss judgment, normal symbol hit/miss judgment, and game state transition, a sub-control board 90 (also called the "sub-control unit" and "performance control unit") that controls performances executed as the game progresses, a payout control board 110 (also called the "payout control unit") that controls the payout of game balls, and an image control board 100 (image control unit) that controls the display of the performance pattern 8 displayed on the image display device 7, the pattern displayed on the performance display 102, the performance first special pattern reserve display 103a, and the performance second special pattern reserve display 103b, etc. 2, a main control board storage case that stores the main control board 80 is provided in the approximate center of the rear side (back side) of the pachinko gaming machine 1, an image control board storage case that stores the sound control board 106, the lamp control board 107, and the image control board 100 is provided above this main control board case, and a sub-control board storage case that stores the sub-control board 90 is provided above the image control board storage case. Also, a payout control board case that stores the payout control board is provided on the lower left side of the main control board case, and a power supply board case that stores the power supply board 109 is provided on the right side of that.

The main control board 80 is equipped with a one-chip microcomputer for game control (hereinafter referred to as "game control microcomputer") 81 that controls the progress of the game of the pachinko game machine 1 according to a program. The game control microcomputer 81 includes a ROM that stores programs for controlling the progress of the game, a RAM used as a work memory, and a CPU that executes the programs stored in the ROM. The game control microcomputer 81 transmits and receives data (information) to and from other boards, etc. via an input/output circuit 87 (I/O port section). The input/output circuit 87 may be built into the game control microcomputer 81. The ROM may also be external. The RAM of the game control microcomputer 81 is provided with the above-mentioned special pattern reservation memory section 85 (first special pattern reservation memory section 85a and second special pattern reservation memory section 85b) and regular pattern reservation memory section 86.

Various sensors and solenoids are connected to the main control board 80 via a relay board 88. Therefore, signals are input from each sensor to the main control board 80, and signals are output from the main control board 80 to each solenoid. Specifically, the following sensors are connected: first start hole sensor 20a, second start hole sensor 21a, gate sensor 28a, first large prize hole sensor 30a, second large prize hole sensor 35a, specific area sensor 39a, non-specific area sensor 49a, and general prize hole sensor 27a. These various sensors are also referred to as "game ball detection means."

The first start port sensor 20a is provided in the first start port 20 and detects game balls that have entered the first start port 20. The second start port sensor 21a is provided in the second start port 21 and detects game balls that have entered the second start port 21. The gate sensor 28a is provided in the gate 28 and detects game balls that have passed through the gate 28. The first large prize port sensor 30a is provided in the first large prize port 30 and detects game balls that have entered the first large prize port 30. The second large prize port sensor 35a is provided in the second large prize port 35 and detects game balls that have entered the second large prize port 35. The specific area sensor 39a is provided in a specific area 39 in the second large prize port 35 and detects game balls that have entered the second large prize port 35 and have passed through the specific area 39. The non-specific area sensor 49a is provided in the non-specific area 49 in the second large prize opening 35, and detects game balls that enter the second large prize opening 35 and pass through the non-specific area 49. The general prize opening sensor 27a is provided in each general prize opening 27 and detects game balls that enter the general prize opening 27. The RAM of the game control microcomputer 81 (main control unit 80) is provided with an area for counting and storing the number of game balls detected by each of these sensors (game ball detection means), and the number of detections by each sensor can be counted by the control (program) of the game control microcomputer 81 (counting means).

The solenoids connected include the second start port solenoid 24, the first large prize port solenoid 33, the second large prize port solenoid 38, and the movable piece solenoid 151. These various solenoids are also called "driving means." The second start port solenoid 24 is for driving the opening/closing member 23 of the variable prize device 22, and the first large prize port solenoid 33 is for driving the opening/closing member 32 of the first large prize device 31. The second large prize port solenoid 38 is for driving the opening/closing member 37 of the second large prize device 36, and the movable piece solenoid 151 is for driving the movable piece 150 of the second large prize device 36. Furthermore, the first special symbol display 41a, the second special symbol display 41b, the normal symbol display 42, the first special symbol reserve display 43a, the second special symbol reserve display 43b, the normal symbol reserve display 44, the round display 45, the game status display 46, the launch direction display 47, and the win display 48 are connected to the main control board 80. In other words, the display control of these main displays 40 is performed by the game control microcomputer 81.

The main control board 80 also transmits various commands to the payout control board 110 and receives signals from the payout control board 110 to monitor payouts. The payout control board 110 is connected to a payout device 120 that pays out prize balls and loan balls, and a card unit 135 (installed adjacent to the pachinko gaming machine 1 and enabling ball lending based on information stored in an inserted prepaid card (game value storage medium) or the like), as well as to a launching device 112 via a launch control board 111 (also called the "launch control unit"). The launching device 112 includes a launch handle 60 (see FIG. 1).

The payout control board 110 is equipped with a payout control one-chip microcomputer 116 (also called the "payout control microcomputer") that controls the payout of game balls from the pachinko game machine 1 according to a program. The payout control microcomputer 116 includes a ROM that stores programs for controlling the payout of game balls, a RAM used as a work memory, and a CPU that executes the programs stored in the ROM. The payout control microcomputer 116 drives the payout motor 121 of the payout device 120 to pay out prize balls or pay out loan balls based on signals from the game control microcomputer 81 and signals from the card unit 135 connected to the pachinko game machine 1 via the input/output circuit 117. The paid-out game balls are detected by payout sensors 122 and 123 for counting. Furthermore, when the player operates the handle 60 (see FIG. 1) of the launching device 112, the touch sensor 114 detects the player's contact with the launching handle 60, and the launch volume 115 detects the amount of rotation of the launching handle 60. The launching motor 113 is then controlled to launch the game ball with a strength that corresponds to the magnitude of the detection signal from the launch volume 115.

The main control board 80 also transmits various commands to the sub-control board 90. The connection between the main control board 80 and the sub-control board 90 is a one-way communication connection that only allows signals to be transmitted from the main control board 80 to the sub-control board 90. In other words, a unidirectional circuit (not shown, for example a circuit using a diode) is interposed between the main control board 80 and the sub-control board 90 as a means for restricting the direction of communication.

As shown in FIG. 5, the sub-control board 90 is equipped with a one-chip microcomputer 91 for controlling the presentation of the pachinko game machine 1 in accordance with a program (the "microcomputer for controlling presentation") mounted on it. The microcomputer 91 for controlling presentation includes a ROM that stores programs for controlling game presentation as the game progresses, a RAM used as a work memory, and a CPU that executes the programs stored in the ROM. The microcomputer 91 for controlling presentation transmits and receives data to and from other boards via an input/output circuit 95. The input/output circuit 95 may be built into the microcomputer 91 for controlling presentation. The ROM may also be external.

The image control board 100, the sound control board 106, and the lamp control board 107 are connected to the sub-control board 90. The performance control microcomputer 91 of the sub-control board 90 causes the CPU of the image control one-chip microcomputer 101 ("image control microcomputer") of the image control board 100 to control the display of the image display device 7, the performance display device 102, the performance first special pattern reserved display device 103a, and the performance second reserved display device 103b based on a command received from the main control board 80. The RAM of the image control board 100 is a memory for expanding image data. The ROM of the image control board 100 stores image data such as still image data and video data to be displayed on the image display device 7, specifically, characters, items, figures, letters, numbers, and symbols (including performance patterns, reserved patterns, etc.) and background images. The image control microcomputer 101 reads image data from the ROM based on a command from the performance control microcomputer 91. Then, it executes display control based on the read image data.

The performance display 102 is made up of two LEDs, and performs a change display and a stop display in accordance with the change display and stop display of the performance pattern 8, and displays the stop display in a display mode that indicates the display result of the performance pattern 8 (the result of the special pattern hit/miss judgment) by turning on/off the two LEDs or by combining colors. In addition, the performance first special pattern hold display 103a and the performance second hold display 103b are also made up of two LEDs. And, by turning on/off the two LEDs or by combining colors, the performance first special pattern hold display 103a is displayed and controlled in a display mode that indicates the same number of reserved items as the number of reserved items displayed in the first performance hold display area 9c and the number of reserved items displayed in the first special pattern hold display 43a. In addition, the performance second special pattern hold display 103b is displayed and controlled in a display mode that indicates the same number of reserved items as the number of reserved items displayed in the second performance hold display area 9d and the number of reserved items displayed in the second special pattern hold display 43b. This is because display devices like this are provided because by displaying the character pattern over almost the entirety of the display screen 7a (performance pattern display section) or by operating the movable decorative member 14 to cover almost the entirety of the performance pattern display area 7b (performance pattern display section) of the display screen 7a, some or all of the various images displayed on the display screen 7a, such as the performance pattern 8, first performance hold 9a, and second performance hold 9b, may not be visible. Note that a VDP (Video Display Processor) may be provided instead of or in addition to the image control one-chip microcomputer 101 of the image control board 100.

The performance control microcomputer 91 also outputs voice, music, sound effects, etc. from the speaker 67 via the voice control board 106 based on commands received from the main control board 80. Sound data such as voice output from the speaker 67 is stored in the ROM of the sub-control board 90. A CPU may be implemented in the voice control board 106, in which case the CPU may be made to execute voice control. In this case, a ROM may be implemented in the voice control board 106, and sound data may be stored in the ROM. The speaker 67 may also be connected to the image control board 100, and the CPU of the image control board 100 may be made to execute voice control. In this case, sound data may also be stored in the ROM of the image control board 100.

In addition, based on commands received from the main control board 80, the performance control microcomputer 91 determines the light pattern data (data that determines the on/off state and light color, etc., also called lamp data) that determines the light emission mode of lamps such as the frame lamp 66 and the panel lamp 5 from the data stored in the ROM, and controls the lighting of lamps (LEDs) such as the frame lamp 66 and the panel lamp 5 via the lamp control board 107.

Furthermore, the performance control microcomputer 91 operates the movable decorative member 14 connected to the lamp control board 107 via the relay board 108 based on the command received from the main control board 80. Note that the movable decorative member 14 is a so-called movable gimmick provided on the center decorative body 10, although only a part of it is visible in FIG. 1. The performance control microcomputer 91 determines operation pattern data (also called "drive data") for operating the movable decorative member 14 in a predetermined operating mode from the data stored in the ROM of the sub-control board 90, and controls the operation of the movable decorative member 14 based on the determined operation pattern data. Note that a CPU may be implemented in the lamp control board 107, and in that case, the CPU may be made to execute the lighting control of the lamp and the operation control of the movable decorative member 14. Furthermore, in this case, a ROM may be implemented in the lamp control board 107, and data regarding the light emission pattern and operation pattern may be stored in the ROM.

The sub-control board 90 is also connected to a first effect button detection switch 63c and a second effect button detection switch 63d, which detect when the first effect button 63a or the second effect button 63b (see FIG. 1) is operated (pushed, rotated, pulled, etc.). Therefore, when the player performs a specified input operation on the first effect button 63a or the second effect button 63b, a signal is output from the corresponding effect button detection switch to the sub-control board 90.

Next, the control related to the hit/miss determination in the pachinko gaming machine 1 of this embodiment will be described. In this embodiment, the results of the special symbol hit/miss determination are a "jackpot" and a "miss." In the event of a "jackpot," a "jackpot symbol" is displayed frozen in the special symbol display section 41, and in the event of a "miss," a "miss symbol" is displayed frozen in the special symbol display section 41. When a jackpot is determined, a "special game" is executed in which the first large prize opening 30 or the second large prize opening 35 is opened in an opening pattern according to the type of special symbol that is frozen and displayed. The special game executed when a jackpot is obtained is called a "jackpot game."

There are multiple types of jackpots. As shown in Figure 6, there are 12 types of jackpots in total: "7R (round) 1st jackpot", "7R 2nd jackpot", "7R 3rd jackpot", "7R 4th jackpot", "7R 5th jackpot", "7R 6th jackpot", "7R 7th jackpot", "7R 8th jackpot", "7R 9th jackpot", "7R 10th jackpot", "15R 11th jackpot", and "15R 12th jackpot". The "7R 1st jackpot to 7R 10th jackpot" are jackpots in which the large prize opening (first large prize opening 30 or second large prize opening 35) is opened 7 times (number of rounds), and the "15R 11th jackpot" and "15R 12th jackpot" are jackpots in which the large prize opening (first large prize opening 30 or second large prize opening 35) is opened 15 times (number of rounds).

In each round of the jackpot game involving these jackpots, one of the first large prize opening 30 and the second large prize opening 35 is in an open state (a state in which a ball can be entered, a state in which game balls can be received), and the other is in a closed state (a state in which a ball cannot be entered, a state in which game balls cannot be received). In other words, the two large prize openings 30, 35 are never open at the same time, and only one of them is open. Specifically, in the first round, the first large prize opening 30 (lower large prize opening) is closed and the second large prize opening 35 (upper large prize opening) is opened; in the second round, the first large prize opening 30 (lower large prize opening) is opened and the second large prize opening 35 (upper large prize opening) is closed; in the third round, as in the first round, the first large prize opening 30 (lower large prize opening) is closed and the second large prize opening 35 (upper large prize opening) is opened; and in the fourth round, as in the second round, the first large prize opening 30 (lower large prize opening) is opened and the second large prize opening 35 (upper large prize opening) is closed. Thereafter, as the rounds progress to the fifth round, sixth round, and so on, the first large prize opening 30 (lower large prize opening) is closed and the second large prize opening 35 (upper large prize opening) is opened, and the first large prize opening 30 (lower large prize opening) is opened and the second large prize opening 35 (upper large prize opening) is closed alternately. In other words, in the big win game of this embodiment, the second large prize opening 35 (upper large prize opening) is opened in the odd round, and the first large prize opening 30 (lower large prize opening) is opened in the even round, and the first large prize opening 30 (lower large prize opening) and the second large prize opening 35 (upper large prize opening) are opened alternately, with the second large prize opening 35 (upper large prize opening) opening first.

Here, the large prize opening pattern during the jackpot game will be described. In this embodiment, the opening patterns of the first large prize opening 30 and the second large prize opening 35 are the same. That is, in an odd-numbered round during the jackpot game, the second large prize opening 35 is opened until 25,000 ms (25 seconds) have elapsed since the start of the round, and is closed after 25,000 ms (25 seconds) has elapsed, ending the round. In other words, the second large prize opening 35 is opened in an opening pattern with an opening time of 25,000 ms and one opening. The second large prize opening 30 that opens in this opening pattern can be easily inserted with a game ball by hitting it to the right. On the other hand, in an even-numbered round during the jackpot game, the first large prize opening 30 is opened until 25,000 ms (25 seconds) have elapsed since the start of the round, and is then closed after 25,000 ms (25 seconds) has elapsed, ending the round. In other words, the first large prize opening 30 is opened with an opening pattern of 25,000 ms and 1 opening. The first large prize opening 30 that opens with this opening pattern can be easily inserted by hitting it from the right.

In addition, in the fifth round during a jackpot game, the second large prize opening 35 is opened, and in addition, the movable piece 150 is operated when the number of game balls that have entered the second large prize opening 35 reaches a predetermined number. That is, when a game ball enters the second large prize opening 35, the entered game ball is detected by the second large prize opening sensor 35a, and the number of game balls detected (i.e., the number of balls that have entered the second large prize opening 35) is counted by a ball counting means (not shown) provided in the RAM of the main control unit 80. When the count value by this ball counting means reaches a predetermined value, this triggers the operation of the movable piece 150. In other words, the operation timing of the movable piece 150 is determined by the predetermined value.

The predetermined value (counting value) that triggers the operation of the movable piece 150 is set within the range of the number of game balls (prescribed number) that are permitted to enter the second large winning opening 35 during one round, and in this embodiment, two predetermined values are provided, broadly classified as a "first predetermined value (first counting value)" and a "second predetermined value (second counting value)" that is a value larger than the first predetermined value. Specifically, the first predetermined value (first counting value) is set to "1," and the second predetermined value (second counting value) is set to any one of "2" to "9."

In addition, the predetermined value (count value) that triggers the operation of the movable piece 150 is set according to the type of jackpot, and the correspondence between the "jackpot type" and the "first and second predetermined values" shown in FIG. 47 is pre-stored in the ROM of the main control unit 80 (value storage means). In this embodiment, the first predetermined value is set for all jackpot types, and the second predetermined value is set for a specific jackpot type among all jackpot types. Specifically, the first predetermined value is set for all (12 types) of 7R 1st jackpot to 7R 10th jackpot, 15R 11th jackpot, and 15R 12th jackpot. On the other hand, the second predetermined value is set for 7R 1st jackpot to 7R 8th jackpot, and 15R 11th jackpot (9 types), and is not set for 7R 9th jackpot, 7R 10th jackpot, and 15R 12th jackpot (3 types). For this reason, in this embodiment, the movable piece 150 moves at least once in the fifth round of a jackpot game, and can move a maximum of two times.

And, for the 8 types of jackpots from 7R 1 to 7R 8 among the 9 types of jackpots (7R 1 to 7R 8), one of the 8 values from "2" to "9" is set so that each jackpot is different. Specifically, "2" is set for the 7R 1 jackpot, "3" for the 7R 2 jackpot, "4" for the 7R 3 jackpot, "5" for the 7R 4 jackpot, "6" for the 7R 5 jackpot, "7" for the 7R 6 jackpot, "8" for the 7R 7 jackpot, and "9" for the 7R 8 jackpot. Also, "2" is set for the 15R 11 jackpot (see FIG. 47). The setting of the predetermined value (count value) that triggers the operation of these movable pieces 150 is performed based on the type of jackpot when a jackpot occurs (the start of a jackpot game). That is, as shown in FIG. 47, a "first predetermined value (c1) corresponding to the number of balls that determines the timing of the first operation" and a "second predetermined value (c2) corresponding to the number of balls that determines the timing of the second operation" that are predetermined according to the type of jackpot are set when the corresponding jackpot occurs (the start of a jackpot game). Note that the setting mode of the first and second predetermined values shown in FIG. 47 is merely an example, and various other modes are possible.

In addition, in this embodiment, two types of operation modes (operation patterns) are provided in advance when the movable piece 150 operates, which have relatively different possibilities for the game ball to pass through the specific area 39. That is, there are two modes: a mode in which the game ball has a low possibility of passing through the specific area 39 (first operation mode), and a mode in which the game ball has a high possibility of passing through the specific area 39 (second operation mode), and the movable piece 150 operates in either mode. The mode in which the movable piece 150 operates is determined by the aforementioned predetermined value that triggers the operation of the movable piece 150, i.e., the count value by the ball number counting means (the number of game balls detected by the second large winning opening sensor 35a, i.e., the number of balls that enter the second large winning opening 35). Specifically, when the count value (the number of balls entering the second large winning opening 35) becomes a first predetermined value ("1" in this example) and the movable piece 150 operates, the movable piece 150 operates in a mode (first operation mode) in which the probability of the game ball passing through the specific area 39 is low, and when the count value (the number of balls entering the second large winning opening 35) becomes a second predetermined value (any of "2" to "9" in this example) and the movable piece 150 operates, the movable piece 150 operates in a mode (second operation mode) in which the probability of the game ball passing through the specific area 39 is high. When the movable piece 150 operates in the first operation mode, the probability of the game ball passing through the specific area 39 is extremely low, and it is difficult (effectively impossible) for the game ball to pass through the specific area 39. On the other hand, when the movable piece 150 operates in the second operation mode, the probability of the game ball passing through the specific area 39 is high, and it is easy for the game ball to pass through the specific area 39.

As mentioned above, the second predetermined value is set for a specific jackpot type, and is not set for other jackpot types. For this reason, the nine types of jackpots that correspond to the specific jackpot types for which the second predetermined value is set, i.e., the 7R 1st jackpot to the 7R 8th jackpot and the 15R 11th jackpot, are jackpots that operate the movable piece 150 in a manner that makes it highly likely that the game ball will pass through the specific area 39 (hereinafter also referred to as "V-scheduled passing jackpots"). On the other hand, the jackpots for which the second predetermined value is not set, i.e., the 7R 9th jackpot, the 7R 10th jackpot, and the 15R 12th jackpot, are jackpots that operate the movable piece 150 in a manner that makes it highly likely that the game ball will pass through the specific area 39 (hereinafter also referred to as "V-scheduled not passing jackpots"). In other words, a "V passing jackpot" is a jackpot that is premised on the occurrence of a high probability state (awarding a bonus) as described below, while a "V not passing jackpot" is a jackpot that is premised on the absence of a high probability state (awarding no bonus) as described below.

Here, the relationship between the operation of the movable piece 150 and the game ball that has entered the second large winning opening 35 is as follows. As shown in FIG. 48, when the count value by the aforementioned ball counting means reaches a first predetermined value ("1" in this example), the movable piece 150 is put into an operating state for 80 ms (the movable piece solenoid 151 is turned ON). In other words, when the first ball entering the second large winning opening 35 is detected, the specific area 39 is put into an open state (V-open) for 80 ms (0.08 seconds). In other words, the movable piece 150 operates in an operating pattern with an operating time (opening time) of 80 ms and an operating count (opening count) of 1. In this case, the operation of the movable piece 150 is performed for only an extremely short time (instant) of 80 ms, so by the time the game ball that triggered the operation (the game ball that is the first (initial) ball to enter the second large prize opening 35) passes through the second large prize opening sensor 35a and reaches the location where the movable piece 150 is located, the operation of the movable piece 150 is highly likely to have ended (become in a non-operating state) (see FIG. 46(a)). Therefore, the possibility that the game ball will pass through the specific area 39 is extremely low (effectively zero).

On the other hand, when the count value by the aforementioned ball counting means reaches a second predetermined value (any of "2" to "9" in this example), the movable piece 150 is put into an operating state for 3000 ms (movable piece solenoid 151 is turned ON) (Figure 48). In other words, when any of the second to ninth balls entering the second large prize opening 35 is detected, the specific area 39 is put into an open state (V-open) for 3000 ms (3 seconds). In other words, the movable piece 150 operates in an operating pattern with an operating time (opening time) of 3000 ms and an operating count (opening count) of 1. In this case, the operation of the movable piece 150 takes a relatively long time of 3000 ms, so by the time the game ball that triggered the operation (the game ball that is the second to ninth ball entering the second large prize opening 35) passes through the second large prize opening sensor 35a and reaches the location where the movable piece 150 is located, the operation of the movable piece 150 is highly likely to have not yet finished (it is in an operating state) (see FIG. 46(b)). Therefore, there is a very high possibility that the game ball will pass through the specific area 39.

In this way, when the count value by the ball counting means reaches a first predetermined value, the movable piece 150 operates in a short opening operation pattern (first operation mode) that opens the specific area 39 for a very short time (80 ms), and when the count value by the ball counting means reaches a second predetermined value, it operates in a long opening operation pattern (second operation mode) that opens the specific area 39 for a longer time (3000 ms) than the short opening operation pattern. In a "V non-passing scheduled jackpot", the movable piece 150 operates in the short opening operation pattern (first operation mode) in the fifth round, but does not operate in the long opening operation pattern (second operation mode) thereafter, and in a "V passing scheduled jackpot", the movable piece 150 operates in the short opening operation pattern (first operation mode) in the fifth round, and then it is possible to operate in the long opening operation pattern (second operation mode). For this reason, the "V non-passing scheduled jackpot" is a jackpot with a low (no) probability that the game state after the jackpot game ends will be in the high probability state described below, since even if the game ball enters the second large winning opening 35 in the fifth round, the possibility that the game ball will pass through the specific area 39 during that round is extremely low (substantially zero), in other words, a jackpot with a high probability of being in the normal state (low probability state) described below. On the other hand, the "V passing scheduled jackpot" is a jackpot with a high probability of being in the high probability state described below, since if two or more game balls enter the second large winning opening 35 in the fifth round, the possibility that the game ball will pass through the specific area 39 during that round is extremely high. Thus, in this embodiment, the fifth round of the jackpot game is a V round that determines whether or not the game state after the jackpot game ends will be in the high probability state based on whether or not the game ball passes through the specific area 39. This fifth round of play (V round) corresponds to one aspect of the "benefit determination game" of the present invention.

The large prize opening pattern is not limited to this embodiment, and the opening pattern may be different between the first large prize opening 30 and the second large prize opening 35. Also, in this embodiment, the only difference is the number of rounds (7R or 15R) depending on the type of jackpot, and the large prize opening pattern is the same, but the large prize opening pattern may be different depending on the type of jackpot. Furthermore, the operation pattern (first operation mode, second operation mode) of the movable piece 150 is not limited to this embodiment.

The distribution probability of each jackpot in the hit/miss judgment of the first special pattern (special pattern 1) is 7% for the 1st to 8th jackpots of 7R, 22% for the 9th jackpot of 7R, and 22% for the 10th jackpot of 7R. If divided into the jackpots that are scheduled to pass V and the jackpots that are scheduled not to pass V, the jackpots that are scheduled to pass V are 56% (7% x 8 = 56%) and the jackpots that are scheduled not to pass V are 44% (22% x 2 = 44%) (see Figures 6 and 8). In contrast, the distribution probability of each jackpot in the hit/miss judgment of the second special pattern (special pattern 2) is 80% for the 11th jackpot of 15R, and 20% for the 12th jackpot of 15R. If divided into the jackpots that are scheduled to pass V and the jackpots that are scheduled not to pass V, the jackpots that are scheduled to pass V are 80% and the jackpots that are scheduled not to pass V are 20% (see Figures 6 and 8). That is, when a jackpot is reached by the hit/miss judgment of the second special symbol based on the ball entering the second starting hole 21, which has become easier to enter due to the operation of the opening extension function described later (occurrence of a high base state), the possibility of a V-pass scheduled jackpot is higher than when a jackpot is reached by the hit/miss judgment of the first special symbol based on the ball entering the first starting hole 20. Also, when a jackpot is reached by the hit/miss judgment of the second special symbol based on the ball entering the second starting hole 21, a 15R jackpot will appear that does not appear in the hit/miss judgment of the first special symbol based on the ball entering the first starting hole 20. In this way, in this pachinko game machine 1, it is set so that it is more likely for the player to win a jackpot in the hit/miss judgment (second special symbol hit/miss judgment) performed when a game ball enters the second starting hole 21 than in the hit/miss judgment (first special symbol hit/miss judgment) performed when a game ball enters the first starting hole 20. For this reason, players play in the hope of hitting the ball into the second starting hole 21. This is particularly noticeable when the opening extension function is in operation, which increases the frequency of hitting the ball into the second starting hole 21.

In this pachinko game machine 1, the determination of whether or not a jackpot has been hit is based on the "special symbol hit/miss determination random number (also called "hit/miss determination information")," and if a jackpot has been hit, the determination of the type of jackpot is based on the "jackpot type determination random number (also called "symbol determination random number" or "symbol determination information"). As shown in FIG. 7(A), the special symbol hit/miss determination random number has a value in the range of "0-629," and the jackpot type determination random number has a value in the range of "0-99." Furthermore, the random numbers (acquired information) obtained based on the ball entering the first starting hole 20 or the second starting hole 21 include the special symbol hit/miss determination random number and the jackpot type determination random number as well as the "variable pattern random number (also called "variable pattern information")."

The fluctuation pattern random number is a random number used to determine the fluctuation pattern including the fluctuation time. The fluctuation pattern random number has a value in the range of "0 to 198". In addition, the random numbers obtained based on the passage of the gate 28 include a random number for determining whether or not the normal pattern is a hit, as shown in FIG. 7 (B). The random number for determining whether or not the normal pattern is a hit is a random number used to determine whether or not to play the auxiliary game that opens the second starting hole 21 (normal pattern lottery). The normal pattern random number has a value in the range of "0 to 240".

Next, the game state of the pachinko game machine 1 of this embodiment will be described. The pachinko game machine 1 of this embodiment has a plurality of game states by combinations in which the probability fluctuation function for the special and normal symbols, the fluctuation time shortening function, and the opening extension function are in an activated or deactivated state. The state in which the probability fluctuation function is activated for the special symbols (first special symbol and second special symbol) is called the "high probability state", and the state in which it is not activated is called the "normal state (also called the "low probability state"). In the high probability state, the probability of being determined as a jackpot in the special symbol hit/miss judgment is higher than in the normal state. That is, in the normal state, the hit/miss judgment is performed using the jackpot judgment table for the normal state, but in the high probability state, the hit/miss judgment is performed using the jackpot judgment table for the high probability state in which the value of the special symbol hit/miss judgment random number that is determined as a jackpot is large (see FIG. 8 (A)). In other words, when the probability variation function for the special symbols is activated, the probability that the result of the variable display of the special symbols will be a jackpot (the stopped symbol will be a jackpot symbol) increases compared to when it is not activated.

The state in which the time-saving function is activated for the special symbols (first special symbol and second special symbol) is called the "time-saving state," and the state in which it is not activated is called the "non-time-saving state." In the time-saving state, the average value of the special symbol's time of fluctuation (the time from the start of the fluctuation display to the final display) is shorter than the average value of the special symbol's time of fluctuation in the non-time-saving state. In other words, in the time-saving state, the fluctuation pattern is determined using a fluctuation pattern table that is set so that a fluctuation pattern with a short fluctuation time is selected more often than in the non-time-saving state (see Figure 9). As a result, in the time-saving state, the pace of consumption of the reserved special symbols is faster, and effective balls entering the starting hole (balls that can be stored as reserved special symbols) are more likely to occur. Therefore, it is possible to aim for a jackpot while playing smoothly.

The probability fluctuation function and the fluctuation time shortening function for the special symbols (first special symbol and second special symbol) may operate simultaneously, or only one of them may operate. The probability fluctuation function and the fluctuation time shortening function for the normal symbols operate in sync with the fluctuation time shortening function for the special symbols. In other words, the probability fluctuation function and the fluctuation time shortening function for the normal symbols operate in the time-shortening state of the special symbols, and do not operate in the non-time-shortening state. For this reason, in the time-shortening state, the probability of a win in the normal symbol hit/miss judgment is higher than in the non-time-shortening state. Specifically, in the time-shortening state, the normal symbol hit/miss judgment (normal symbol judgment) is performed using a normal symbol hit judgment table in which the value of the normal symbol random number (hit random number) that is judged to be a hit is greater than the normal symbol hit judgment table used in the non-time-shortening state (see Figure 8 (C)).

In addition, in the time-saving state, the change time of the normal pattern is shorter than in the non-time-saving state. In this embodiment, the change time of the normal pattern is 30 seconds in the non-time-saving state, but 1 second in the time-saving state (see FIG. 8 (D)). Furthermore, in the time-saving state, the opening time extension function of the variable winning device 22 (second starting hole 21) is activated, and the opening time of the second starting hole 21 in the auxiliary play is longer than in the non-time-saving state. In addition, in the time-saving state, the opening count increase function of the variable winning device 22 is activated, and the opening count of the second starting hole 21 in the auxiliary play is greater than in the non-time-saving state. Specifically, when the result of the normal symbol hit/miss judgment in the non-time-saving state is a hit, the opening/closing member 37 of the variable winning device 22 (second starting hole 21) performs one 0.2-second opening operation, and when the result of the normal symbol hit/miss judgment in the time-saving state is a hit, the opening/closing member 37 of the variable winning device 22 (second starting hole 21) performs three 2.0-second opening operations.

When the probability variation function and variation time reduction function for normal symbols, as well as the opening time extension function and opening count increase function of the variable winning device 22 are operating, the second starting hole 21 opens more frequently and game balls enter the second starting hole 21 more frequently than when these functions are not operating (also called a "high frequency state"). As a result, the base, which is the ratio of the number of winning balls to the number of shot balls, becomes higher. Therefore, the state in which these functions are operating is called a "high base state", and the state in which they are not operating is called a "low base state". In a high base state, you can aim for a jackpot without significantly reducing the number of game balls you have in hand.

The high base state (high frequency state) does not necessarily require all of the above functions to be activated. In other words, the activation of at least one of the functions of the probability fluctuation function and fluctuation time reduction function of the normal symbol, and the opening time extension function and opening count increase function of the variable winning device 22, makes it easier for the second starting hole 21 to open (higher ball entry frequency) compared to when that function is not activated. The high base state may also be controlled independently without being associated with the time reduction state of the special symbol. The function that generates such a high base state can also be called the "high base generation function."

In the pachinko game machine 1 of this embodiment, the game state after the special game in the case of any of the 7R 1st jackpot to the 7R 8th jackpot and the 15R 11th jackpot is a high probability state of the special symbol based on the passing of the game ball into the specific area 39, and a time-saving state and a high base state of the special symbol (see FIG. 6) since the possibility of the game ball passing through the specific area 39 during the special game is extremely high. This game state is also called a "high probability high base state." The high probability high base state ends when the variable display of the special symbol is executed a predetermined number of times or when a jackpot is hit and a jackpot game is executed. This high probability high base state is a state in which it is clear to the player that it is a high probability state, and is a so-called "probability change game state" for the player. If the game ball does not pass through the specific area 39, the normal state of the special symbol, the time-saving state of the special symbol, and the high base state (low probability high base state) will be entered.

In addition, in the case of a 9th jackpot in round 7 or a 12th jackpot in round 15, the game state after the special game will be the normal state of the special symbol, as well as the time-saving state and high base state of the special symbol, since the possibility of the game ball passing through the specific area 39 during the special game is extremely low (see Figure 6). This game state is also called the "low probability high base state." The low probability high base state ends when the special symbol is displayed in a variable manner a predetermined number of times (e.g. 100 times) or when a jackpot is hit and a jackpot game is played. Note that although the possibility is extremely low (close to zero), if the game ball passes through the specific area 39, the "high probability high base state" will be entered.

In addition, in the case where the 10th jackpot of the 7th round is hit, the game state after the special game will be the normal state of the special symbol, the non-time-saving state of the special symbol, and a low base state, since the possibility of the game ball passing through the specific area 39 during that special game is extremely low (see Figure 6). This game state is also called the "low probability low base state." Note that, although the possibility is extremely low (close to zero), if the game ball does pass through the specific area 39, the game will enter a high probability state of the special symbol, a non-time-saving state of the special symbol, and a low base state. This game state is also called the "high probability low base state."

In addition, when the game state becomes a "high probability high base state" or a "low probability high base state", it is possible to make it difficult for the player to recognize whether the probability fluctuation function is operating or not after the special game (jackpot game) ends, i.e., whether the state is a high probability state or a normal state (low probability state). In this way, a state in which it is difficult to recognize whether the state is a high probability state or a normal state (low probability state) is called a "probability non-notification state". In the "probability non-notification state", it is difficult (effectively impossible) for the player to recognize whether the state is a high probability state or not based on the appearance (appearance) of the pachinko game machine 1, such as the performance performed according to the progress of the game. This "probability non-notification state" can be generated, for example, until the variable display of the special pattern is performed a predetermined number of times (for example, 100 times), which is the end condition of the "low probability high base state".

In a high base state such as a high probability high base state or a low probability high base state, it is more advantageous to play by hitting the ball to the right to enter the right play area 3B. In a high base state, the second start hole 21 is more easily opened than in a low base state, and it is easier to enter the second start hole 21 than the first start hole 20. Therefore, the ball is hit to the right to enter the second start hole 21 while passing through the gate 28, which is the trigger for determining whether the normal pattern is correct or not. This allows more start balls to be entered (opportunities to determine whether the special pattern is correct or not) than when hitting to the left. In this state, the launch direction indicator 47 is controlled to light in a predetermined manner, and notifies the player that the ball should be launched toward the right play area 3B (right hit instruction notification).

In contrast, in a low base state (e.g., a low-probability low base state), it is more advantageous to play by hitting the ball from the left and letting it enter the left play area 3A. This is because in a low base state, the second start hole 21 is less likely to open than in a high base state, and it is easier to get the ball into the first start hole 20 than into the second start hole 21. For this reason, the ball is hit from the left in order to get the ball into the first start hole 20. This allows for more start holes (opportunities to determine whether the special symbol has been hit) than when hitting from the right. In this state, the launch direction indicator 47 is controlled to light up (display controlled) in a predetermined manner, and notifies the player that the ball should be launched toward the left play area 3A (left-hit instruction notification).

Specifically, the launch direction indicator 47 is composed of two LEDs, "yz", and indicates the launch direction by lighting the LEDs according to the game state. For example, in a low base state, it can notify that the ball should be launched into the left game area by displaying "y□z□" (e.g., □: off, ■: on) with both LEDs off. In a high base state, it can notify that the ball should be launched into the right game area by displaying "y■z■" (e.g., □: off, ■: on).

[Main control main processing]
Next, the operation of the game control microcomputer 81 (control processing by the main control unit 80) will be described with reference to Figs. 10 to 38. The counter, flag, status, buffer, etc., which appear in the operation description of the game control microcomputer 81, are provided in the RAM of the main control board 80. When the power supply of the pachinko game machine 1 is turned on, the game control microcomputer 81 provided in the main control board 80 reads out the main control main processing program shown in Fig. 10 from the ROM of the main control board 80 and executes it. As shown in the figure, in the main control main processing, initial settings are first performed (S101). In the initial settings, for example, stack settings, constant settings, interrupt time settings, CPU settings of the main control board 80, SIO, PIO, CTC (interrupt time controller), resetting of various flags, statuses, and counters, etc. are performed. The initial value of the flag is "0", i.e. "OFF", the initial value of the status is "1", and the initial value of the counter is "0". In addition, the initial setting (S101) is executed only once after the power is turned on, and is not executed thereafter. In addition, in the embodiment and drawings, the normal pattern is sometimes called "normal pattern", the special pattern is sometimes called "special pattern", the first special pattern is sometimes called "special pattern 1" or "first special pattern", and the second special pattern is sometimes called "special pattern 2" or "second special pattern".

Following the initial setting (S101), interrupts are prohibited (S102), and the normal and special symbol main random number update process (S103) is executed. In this normal and special symbol main random number update process (S103), the values of the various random number counters shown in FIG. 7 are updated by incrementing them by 1. When the value of each random number counter reaches its upper limit, it returns to "0" and is incremented again. Note that the initial value of each random number counter may be a value other than "0", and may be changed randomly. The updated random number counter values are stored sequentially in a specified update value storage area (not shown) in the RAM of the main control board 80.

When the normal and special symbol main random number update process (S103) is completed, an interrupt is permitted (S104). While the interrupt is permitted, the interrupt process (S105) can be executed. This interrupt process (S105) is executed based on an interrupt pulse that is repeatedly input to the CPU of the main control board 80 at a cycle of, for example, 4 ms. Then, after the interrupt process (S105) is completed and before the next interrupt process (S105) is started, the update process of various counter values by the normal and special symbol main random number update process (S103) is repeatedly executed. Note that if an interrupt pulse is input to the CPU when the interrupt is prohibited, the interrupt process (S105) does not start immediately, but starts after the interrupt is permitted (S104).

[Interrupt handling]
Next, the interrupt process (S105) will be described. As shown in FIG. 11, in the interrupt process (S105), first, the output process (S201) is executed. In the output process (S201), the commands (control signals) set in the output buffer provided in the RAM of the main control board 80 in each process described below are output to the sub-control board 90, the payout control board 110, etc. The output commands include information on the game state, the result of the special pattern hit/miss judgment, the pattern (hit pattern) as the jackpot type, the variation pattern, etc. The command is, for example, made of 2 bytes of information. In this case, the upper byte is information on the type of command, and the lower byte is information on the content of the command.

In the input process (S202) that follows the output process (S201), the detection signals detected by the various sensors (first start hole sensor 20a, second start hole sensor 21a, first large prize hole sensor 30a, second large prize hole sensor 35a, general prize hole sensor 27a, etc. (see Figure 5)) attached to the pachinko game machine 1 are read and stored in the output buffer of the RAM as prize ball information. In addition, a detection signal from the lower tray full detection sensor that detects whether the lower tray 62 is full is also taken in and stored in the output buffer of the RAM as lower tray full data.

The normal and special symbol main random number update process (S203) that is performed next is the same as the normal and special symbol main random number update process (S103) that is performed in the main control main process of Figure 10. That is, the update process of the various random number counter values (including the normal symbol random number counter value) shown in Figure 7 is performed both during the execution period of the timer interrupt process (S105) and during other periods (the period from the end of the interrupt process (S105) until the start of the next interrupt process (S105)).

Following the normal and special pattern main random number update process (S203), the start port sensor detection process (S204), normal pattern operation process (S205), special pattern operation process (S206), specific area sensor detection process (S207), non-specific area sensor detection process (S208), start ball entry process (S209), and power off monitoring process (S210) are executed. After that, other processes not closely related to the present invention (S211) are executed, and the interrupt process (S105) is terminated. Then, the main control main process S102 to S104 are repeatedly executed (see FIG. 10) until the next interrupt pulse is input to the CPU of the main control board 80, and when the interrupt pulse is input (about 4 ms later), the interrupt process (S105) is executed again. In the output process (S201) of the interrupt process (S105) executed again, the commands set in the output buffer of the RAM in the previous interrupt process (S105) are output.

[Starting port sensor detection process]
12, in the start gate sensor detection process (S204), first, it is determined whether the game ball has passed through the gate 28, that is, whether the game ball has been detected by the gate sensor 28a (S301). If the game ball has not passed through the gate 28 (NO in S301), proceed to S305, and if the game ball has passed through the gate 28 (YES in S301), it is determined whether the number of reserved balls with normal symbols (the number of reserved normal symbols, specifically, the value of a counter that counts the number of reserved normal symbols provided in the RAM) is less than 4 (S302).

If the number of reserved balls for normal symbols is not less than four (NO in S302), proceed to S305. On the other hand, if the number of reserved balls for normal symbols is less than four (YES in S302), add "1" to the number of reserved balls for normal symbols (S303), and perform the normal symbol random number acquisition process (S304). In the normal symbol random number acquisition process (S304), the value of the random number counter for determining whether or not a normal symbol has been selected (label-TRND-H, FIG. 7(B)) stored in the update value memory area (not shown) of the RAM is acquired, and the acquired random number value (acquired information) is stored in the address space corresponding to the current number of reserved balls for normal symbols in the normal symbol reserved memory section provided in the RAM of the main control board 80.

In S305, it is determined whether a game ball has entered the second start hole 21, i.e., whether a game ball has been detected by the second start hole sensor 21a (S305). If a game ball has not entered the second start hole 21 (NO in S305), the process proceeds to S309. If a game ball has entered the second start hole 21 (YES in S305), it is determined whether the number of reserved balls for special chart 2 (the number of reserved second special charts, specifically, the value of a counter that counts the number of reserved second special charts provided in the RAM of the main control unit 80) is less than 4 (upper limit) (S306). If the number of reserved balls for special chart 2 is not less than 4 (NO in S306), the process proceeds to S309. If the number of reserved balls for special chart 2 is less than 4 (YES in S306), 1 is added to the number of reserved balls for special chart 2 (S307).

Next, the special symbol 2 related random number acquisition process (S308) is performed. In the special symbol 2 related random number acquisition process (S308), the value of the random number counter for determining whether or not the special symbol has been hit (label-TRND-A), the value of the random number counter for determining the type of big win (label-TRND-AS), and the value of the fluctuation pattern random number counter (label-TRND-T1) stored in the update value memory area (not shown) of the RAM are acquired (i.e., the random number values shown in FIG. 7(A) are acquired), and these acquired random number values (acquired information) are stored in the address space of the second special symbol reserved memory unit 85b according to the current number of reserved balls for special symbol 2.

Next, in the start hole sensor detection process (S204), it is determined whether or not a game ball has entered the first start hole 20, that is, whether or not a game ball has been detected by the first start hole sensor 20a (S309). If a game ball has not entered the first start hole 20 (NO in S309), the process is terminated. However, if a game ball has entered the first start hole 20 (YES in S309), it is determined whether or not the number of reserved balls for special chart 1 (the number of reserved first special charts, specifically, the value of the counter that counts the number of reserved first special charts provided in the RAM of the main control unit 80) is less than 4 (upper limit number) (S310). Then, if the number of reserved balls for special chart 1 is not less than 4 (NO in S310), the process is terminated. However, if the number of reserved balls for special chart 1 is less than 4 (YES in S310), "1" is added to the number of reserved balls for special chart 1 (S311).

Next, the special chart 1 related random number acquisition process (S312) is performed. In the special chart 1 related random number acquisition process (S312), similar to the special chart 2 related random number acquisition process (S308), the value of the special pattern hit/miss determination counter (label-TRND-A), the value of the jackpot type determination random number counter (label-TRND-AS), and the value of the fluctuation pattern random number counter (label-TRND-T1) stored in the update value memory area (not shown) of the RAM are acquired (i.e., the random number values shown in FIG. 7(A) are acquired), and these acquired random number values are stored in the address space corresponding to the current number of reserved balls for special chart 1 in the first special chart reserved memory unit 85a.

[General Action Processing]
After the start-up sensor detection process (S204), the game control microcomputer 81 performs the normal symbol operation process (S205) shown in Fig. 13. In the normal symbol operation process (S205), the process related to the normal symbol display 42 and the variable winning device 22 is divided into four stages, and each stage is assigned a "normal symbol operation status 1, 2, 3, 4". If the "normal map operation status" is "1" (YES in S401), normal pattern waiting processing (S402) is performed; if the "normal map operation status" is "2" (NO in S401, YES in S403), normal pattern changing processing (S404) is performed; if the "normal map operation status" is "3" (NO in both S401 and S403, YES in S405), normal pattern determination processing (S406) is performed; if the "normal map operation status" is "4" (NO in all of S401, S403, and S405), normal electric accessory processing (S407) is performed. Note that the normal map operation status is initially set to "1".

[Normal symbol standby processing]
As shown in FIG. 14, in the normal symbol waiting process (S402), first, it is determined whether the number of reserved balls of the normal symbol is "0" (S501), and if it is "0" (YES in S501), this process is terminated. On the other hand, if it is not "0" (NO in S501), the normal symbol hit/miss judgment process described later is performed (S502). In addition, after the normal symbol hit/miss judgment process (S502), the normal symbol change pattern selection process is performed (S503). In the normal symbol change pattern selection process, by referring to the normal symbol change pattern selection table shown in FIG. 8 (D), if the game state is in the time-saving state, the normal symbol change pattern with a normal symbol change time of 1 second is selected. On the other hand, if the game state is in the non-time-saving state, the normal symbol change pattern with a normal symbol change time of 30 seconds is selected. In addition, after the normal symbol change pattern selection process, the normal symbol random number shift process (S504) described later is performed. In addition, following the normal pattern random number shift process (S504), the normal pattern variation start process is performed (S505) and the process is terminated. In the normal pattern variation start process, the normal pattern variation display is started in the normal pattern variation pattern selected in S503, and the normal operation status is set to "2". In addition, in the normal pattern variation start process, a normal pattern variation start command is set to notify the sub-control board 90 of the start of the normal pattern variation.

[Normal pattern correctness determination process]
As shown in FIG. 15, in the normal symbol hit/miss judgment process (S502), first, the value of the normal symbol hit/miss judgment random number counter (label-TRND-H) stored in the normal symbol reserve memory unit is read (S601). Next, it is judged whether the time-saving flag is ON (i.e., whether the game state is in the time-saving state or not) (S602). In S602, if it is judged that the time-saving flag is ON, that is, that the game state is in the time-saving state (YES in S602), it is judged whether or not there is a hit by the high probability normal symbol hit/miss judgment based on the table for the time-saving state (hit judgment value is "0" to "239") of the normal symbol hit judgment table shown in FIG. 8 (C) (S604), and the process proceeds to S605. In other words, it is judged whether or not the value of the normal symbol hit/miss judgment random number counter (label-TRND-H) read out matches any of the hit judgment values. On the other hand, in S602, if it is determined that the time-saving flag is not ON, that is, the time-saving state is not in effect (NO in S602), a low-probability normal symbol hit/miss judgment based on the table for the non-time-saving state (hit judgment values are "0" and "1") in the normal symbol hit judgment table shown in Fig. 8 (C) is used to judge whether or not the reel has hit (S603), and the process proceeds to S605. Then, in S605, it is determined whether or not the result of the normal symbol hit/miss judgment (S603, S604) is a hit (normal symbol hit) (S605), and if it is determined to be a miss (NO in S605), the miss normal symbol (normal symbol miss symbol) to be displayed as a stop symbol is determined (S606), and the process ends. On the other hand, if it is determined in S605 that there is a win (a normal winning symbol) (YES in S605), the winning normal symbol (a normal winning symbol) to be displayed is determined (S607), the normal winning symbol flag is turned ON (S608), and the processing ends.

[Normal pattern random number shift processing]
Following the normal pattern variation pattern selection process (S503), the normal pattern random number shift process (S504) is executed. As shown in FIG. 16, in the normal pattern random number shift process (S504), first, the number of normal pattern reserved balls is decremented by 1 (S701). Next, the storage location of each normal pattern reserved in the normal pattern reserved memory unit is shifted one position from the current position to the side to be read (S702). Then, the address space which is the storage location of the top reserved memory in the normal pattern reserved memory unit is made empty ("0"), that is, the RAM area corresponding to the fourth normal pattern reserved is cleared to 0 (S703), and the process is completed. In this way, the normal pattern reserved is consumed in the reserved order.

[Normal pattern change processing]
As shown in Fig. 17, in the normal pattern variation process (S404), first, it is determined whether the normal pattern variation time has elapsed (S801), and if it has not elapsed (NO in S801), the process is terminated. On the other hand, if it has elapsed (YES in S801), a normal pattern variation stop command is set (S802) and the normal pattern operation status is set to "3" (S803). Then, other processes such as stopping the normal pattern variation display with the display result (won normal pattern or lost normal pattern) according to the result of the random number for normal pattern hit/miss judgment are performed (S804), and this process is terminated.

[Normal design confirmation process]
As shown in FIG. 18, in the normal pattern determination process (S406), first, it is determined whether the normal pattern hit flag is ON (S901). If the normal pattern hit flag is not ON (NO in S901), the normal pattern operation status is set to "1" (S905), and this process is terminated. On the other hand, if the normal pattern hit flag is ON (YES in S901), it is then determined whether the time-saving flag is ON, that is, whether the time-saving state is in progress (S902). If the time-saving state is in progress (YES in S902), the opening pattern during the time-saving state is set as the opening pattern of the variable winning device 22 (second starting hole 21) (S903). As described above, the opening pattern during the time-saving state is an opening pattern in which a 2.0-second opening is repeated three times. Therefore, the second starting hole opening counter, which counts the number of times the second starting hole 21 is opened, is set to "3".

On the other hand, if the game is not in the time-saving state (NO in S902), the opening pattern during the non-time-saving state is set as the opening pattern of the variable winning device 22 (second starting hole 21) (S906). As mentioned above, the opening pattern during the non-time-saving state is an opening pattern in which a 0.2-second opening is performed once. Therefore, the second starting hole opening counter is set to "1". Then, following the setting of the opening pattern (S903, S906), the normal operation status is set to "4" (S904), and this process ends.

[Normal electric accessory processing]
As shown in Fig. 19, in the normal electric accessory process (S407), first, it is determined whether the normal winning end flag is ON (S1001). The normal winning end flag is a flag that indicates that the opening of the second starting hole 21 has ended in the auxiliary game that was executed as a winning.

If the normal hit end flag is not ON (NO in S1001), it is determined whether the second start port 21 is open (S1002). If it is not open (NO in S1002), it is determined whether the time (timing) to open the second start port 21 has arrived (S1003). If it has not arrived (NO in S1003), the process is terminated. If it has arrived, the second start port 21 is opened (S1004), and the process is terminated. On the other hand, if the second start port 21 is open (YES in S1002), it is determined whether the time (timing) to close the second start port 21 has arrived (i.e., whether a predetermined opening time has elapsed since the second start port 21 was opened) (S1005). If it has not arrived (NO in S1005), the process is terminated. If it has arrived (YES in S1005), the second start port 21 is closed (closed) (S1006).

Following the process of closing the second start hole 21 (S1006), the value of the second start hole opening counter is decremented by 1 (S1007), and it is determined whether the value of the second start hole opening counter is "0" or not (S1008). If it is not "0" (NO in S1008), the process is terminated to open the second start hole 21 again. On the other hand, if it is "0" (YES in S1008), a normal win end process is performed to end the auxiliary play (S1009), and the normal win end flag is set (S1010) to terminate the process. Note that the second start hole opening counter becomes "0" when the second start hole 21 is opened (the opening operation of the opening/closing member 23) three times during the time-saving state, and becomes "0" when the second start hole 21 is opened once during the non-time-saving state.

On the other hand, if the normal symbol win end flag is ON in S1001 (YES in S1001), the opening operation of the second starting port 21 has ended for the number of times set in S903 or S906, so the normal symbol win end flag is turned OFF (S1011), the normal symbol win flag is turned OFF (S1012), the normal symbol operation status is set to "1" (S1013), and the process ends. As a result, in the next interrupt process, the normal symbol wait process (S402) will be executed again as the normal symbol operation process (Figure 13).

[Special diagram operation processing]
As shown in Fig. 11, the game control microcomputer 81 performs special symbol operation processing (S206) following normal symbol operation processing (S205). In the special symbol operation processing (S206), as shown in Fig. 20, the processing related to the special symbol display device 41 and the big prize device (the first big prize device 31 and the second big prize device 36) is divided into four stages, and "special symbol operation status 1, 2, 3, 4" is assigned to each stage. If the "special symbol operation status" is "1" (YES in S1101), special symbol standby processing (S1102) is performed; if the "special symbol operation status" is "2" (NO in S1101, YES in S1103), special symbol changing processing (S1104) is performed; if the "special symbol operation status" is "3" (NO in S1101, S1103, YES in S1105), special symbol determination processing (S1106) is performed; if the "special symbol operation status" is "4" (NO in S1101, S1103, S1105), special electric device processing (S1107) is performed as a jackpot game. The initial setting for the special symbol operation status is "1."

[Special symbol standby process]
As shown in Fig. 21, in the special symbol waiting process (S1102), first, it is determined whether the number of reserved balls in the second starting hole 21 (i.e., the number of reserved balls in special symbol 2) is "0" (S1201). If the number of reserved balls in special symbol 2 is "0" (YES in S1201), that is, if there is no memory of the random number counter value acquired due to a ball entering the second starting hole 21, it is determined whether the number of reserved balls in the first starting hole 20 (i.e., the number of reserved balls in special symbol 1) is "0" (S1206). Then, if the number of reserved balls for special chart 1 is also "0" (YES in S1206), that is, if there is no memory of the random number counter value obtained as a result of a ball entering the first starting hole 20, it is determined whether or not the display screen 7a of the image display device 7 is in the process of becoming a standby screen (a demo screen for waiting customers is being executed) (S1211), and if so (YES in S1211), the processing is terminated, and if not (NO in S1211), a standby screen setting process is executed to display the standby screen (S1212).

If the number of reserved balls for Special Chart 2 is not "0" in S1201 (NO in S1201), that is, if there is one or more memories of random number counter values obtained due to a ball entering the second starting hole 21, the following Special Chart 2 hit/miss determination process (S1202), Special Chart 2 change pattern selection process (S1203), Special Chart 2 random number shift process (S1204), and Special Chart 2 change start process (S1205) are performed in this order. In addition, if the number of reserved balls for special chart 2 is "0" but the number of reserved balls for special chart 1 is not "0" (YES in S1201, NO in S1206), that is, if there is no memory of the random number counter value related to the second starting hole 21 but there is one or more memories of the random number counter value acquired due to the ball entering the first starting hole 20, the special chart 1 hit/miss judgment process (S1207), the special chart 1 change pattern selection process (S1208), the special chart 1 random number shift process (S1209), and the special chart 1 change start process (S1210) described later are performed in this order. Thus, in this embodiment, the change display of the first special pattern based on the first special pattern reservation is performed only when the second special pattern reservation is "0" (YES in S1201). In other words, the consumption of the second special pattern reservation (the change display of the second special pattern) is executed in priority to the consumption of the first special pattern reservation (the change display of the first special pattern). In this embodiment, a win/loss determination based on the reserved second special chart is more likely to result in a jackpot that is more profitable for the player than a win/loss determination based on the reserved first special chart (Figure 8 (B)).

[Special diagram 2 pass/fail judgment process]
As shown in FIG. 22, in the special symbol 2 hit/miss judgment process (S1202), first, the value (label-TRND-A) of the random number counter for determining whether or not the special symbol hit/miss is selected (the oldest memory) stored in the lowest area (i.e., the RAM area corresponding to the first of the second special symbol reserves) of the second special symbol reserve memory unit 85b of the RAM is read as a judgment value (S1301). Next, it is judged whether or not the probability flag is ON, that is, whether or not the state is high probability (S1302). Then, if the state is not high probability (NO in S1302), that is, if the state is normal, a hit/miss judgment is made based on the hit judgment table for normal state (the hit judgment value is "3" and "397") in the hit judgment table (FIG. 8 (A)) (S1303). On the other hand, if the state is high probability (YES in S1302), a hit/miss judgment is made based on the hit judgment table for high probability state in the hit judgment table (FIG. 8 (A)) (S1304). In the jackpot determination table for high probability states, the jackpot determination values are "3,""53,""113,""173,""227,""281,""337,""397,""449," and "503."

If the result of the jackpot determination (S1303, S1304) is determined to be a "jackpot" (YES in S1305), the value of the random number counter for determining the jackpot type (label-TRND-AS) is read out, the jackpot type is determined based on the jackpot type determination table shown in FIG. 8(B) (S1307), the jackpot pattern is determined based on the value of the random number for determining the jackpot type (S1308), the jackpot flag is turned ON (S1309), and the process ends. On the other hand, if the result of the jackpot determination (S1303, S1304) is not determined to be a "jackpot" (NO in S1305), a losing pattern is determined (S1306), and the process ends. In addition, when determining whether the first special symbol is a hit or miss, the hit type is determined using the hit type determination table for the first special symbol, and when determining whether the second special symbol is a hit or miss, the hit type is determined using the hit type determination table for the second special symbol. Here, the hit determination (special symbol hit or miss determination) and the hit type determination determination can each be called a "determination", or the hit determination and the determination of which hit symbol will be determined can also be called a "determination". These results are also sometimes called "determination results".

Here, the round display 45 is composed of two LEDs, a 7R lamp and a 15R lamp. For example, when any of the 7R 1st to 7R 10th jackpots occurs, the 7R lamp is lit when the corresponding jackpot pattern is confirmed and displayed. Specifically, the display mode is something like "7R▲15R△" (for example, △: off, ▲: on). Also, when the 15R 11th or 15R 12th jackpot occurs, the 15R lamp is lit when the corresponding jackpot pattern is confirmed and displayed. Specifically, the display mode is something like "7R△15R▲" (for example, △: off, ▲: on).

[Special Chart 2 Variation Pattern Selection Processing]
In the special pattern waiting process (FIG. 21), the special pattern 2 winning/losing determination process (S1202) is followed by the special pattern 2 variation pattern selection process (S1203). As shown in FIG. 23 and FIG. 24, in the special pattern 2 variation pattern selection process (S1203), first, it is determined whether the game state is in the time-saving state (whether the time-saving flag is ON or not) (S1401). If it is determined in S1401 that the game state is not in the time-saving state (NO in S1401), that is, if the game state is in the non-time-saving state, it is next determined whether the jackpot flag is ON or not (S1402). If it is determined in S1402 that the jackpot flag is ON (YES in S1402), a variation pattern is selected based on the variation pattern random number counter value (label-TRND-T1) by referring to the non-time-saving state jackpot table (the portion of the variation pattern table shown in FIG. 9 that corresponds to the non-time-saving state and the jackpot) (S1403). In this embodiment, one of the variation patterns P1 to P3 is selected. In this embodiment, the change time is determined once the change pattern is determined. Next, the process proceeds to S1404.

On the other hand, if it is determined in S1402 that the jackpot flag is not ON (NO in S1402), it is then determined whether the reserved number of the second special symbol is either "1" or "2" (S1405). The reserved number here refers to the number of memories including the information that determines the variation pattern by this process, so the number of reserved memories is set to any value from "1" to "4". Then, if it is determined in S1405 that the reserved number is either "1" or "2" (YES in S1405), a variation pattern is selected based on the variation pattern random number counter value (label-TRND-T1) by referring to the first reserved number miss table (the part of the variation pattern table shown in FIG. 9 that corresponds to the non-time-saving state, miss, and reserved ball number "1, 2") (S1406). In this embodiment, one of the variation patterns P4 to P7 is selected. On the other hand, if it is determined in S1405 that the reserved number is neither "1" nor "2", i.e., either "3" or "4" (NO in S1405), a fluctuation pattern is selected based on the fluctuation pattern random number counter value (label-TRND-T1) by referring to the second reserved number miss table (the portion of the fluctuation pattern table shown in FIG. 9 that corresponds to the non-time-saving state, miss, and reserved ball number "3, 4") (S1407). In this embodiment, one of the fluctuation patterns P8 to P11 is selected. In addition, the first reserved number miss table is set to be more likely to select a fluctuation pattern with a relatively long fluctuation time than the second reserved number miss table. In addition, the shortest selectable fluctuation time (12,000 ms) is also longer than that of the second reserved number miss table (4,000 ms).

In addition, if it is determined in S1401 that the time-saving state is in effect (YES in S1401), it is determined whether the jackpot flag is ON (S1408). If it is determined in S1408 that the jackpot flag is ON (YES in S1408), a fluctuation pattern is selected based on the fluctuation pattern random number counter value (label-TRND-T1) by referring to the time-saving state jackpot table (the portion of the fluctuation pattern table shown in FIG. 9 that corresponds to the time-saving state and jackpot) (S1409). In this embodiment, one of the fluctuation patterns P12 to P14 is selected.

On the other hand, if it is determined in S1408 that the jackpot flag is not ON (NO in S1408), it is then determined whether the reserved number is "1" (S1410). The reserved number here is the same as described above, and the reserved number is set to any value from "1" to "4". If it is determined in S1410 that the reserved number is "1" (YES in S1410), a fluctuation pattern is selected based on the fluctuation pattern random number counter value (label-TRND-T1) by referring to the third reserved number miss table (the portion of the fluctuation pattern table shown in FIG. 9 that corresponds to the time-saving state, miss, and reserved ball number "1") (S1411). In this embodiment, one of the fluctuation patterns P15 to P18 is selected. Also, in S1410, if it is determined that the reserved number is not "1", that is, the reserved number is any of "2 to 4" (NO in S1410), a fourth reserved number miss table (the part of the fluctuation pattern table shown in FIG. 9 that corresponds to the time-saving state, miss, and reserved ball number "2 to 4") is referenced to select a fluctuation pattern based on the fluctuation pattern random number counter value (label-TRND-T1) (S1411). In this embodiment, one of the fluctuation patterns P19 to P22 is selected. Here, the fluctuation pattern selected in the time-saving state and miss is more likely to be a short fluctuation pattern than the fluctuation pattern selected in the non-time-saving state and miss. This is to speed up the consumption speed of the reserved special chart (to make the game progress quickly during the time-saving state) by selecting more fluctuation patterns with short fluctuation times in the time-saving state.

After the variation pattern is selected as described above, other processing shown in FIG. 23 is performed (S1404), and the processing ends. In addition, in the other processing (S1404), processing such as setting a variation pattern designation command corresponding to the selected variation pattern in the output buffer of the RAM is performed. In addition, the variation pattern designation command set in this processing is included in a variation start command described below, and is transmitted to the sub-control unit 90 by the output processing (S201).

[Special Figure 2 Random Number Shift Processing]
As shown in Fig. 25, in the special chart 2 random number shift process (S1204), first, the number of reserved balls for special chart 2 is decremented by 1 (S1501). Next, the storage location of various counter values in the second special chart reservation memory unit 85b is shifted to the lower side by one (for example, to the address "0000" side when the second special chart reservation memory unit 85b is composed of an address space corresponding to addresses "0000" to "0003") (S1502). Then, "0" is set in the top address space of the second special chart reservation memory unit 85b, that is, the RAM area corresponding to the fourth reserved second special chart (if the upper limit number has been stored) is cleared to 0 (S1503), and this process is completed.

After executing the special symbol 2 random number shift process (S1204), the special symbol 2 variation start process (S1205) in FIG. 21 is executed. In the special symbol 2 variation start process (S1205), the special symbol operation status is set to "2" and a variation start command is set in the output buffer of the RAM to start the variation display of the second special symbol.

In the special pattern waiting process (S1102) of FIG. 21, if the number of reserved balls for special pattern 2 is "0" and the number of reserved balls for special pattern 1 is not "0" (YES in S1201, NO in S1206), the following processes are carried out in this order: special pattern 1 win/loss determination process (S1207), special pattern 1 change pattern selection process (S1208), special pattern 1 random number shift process (S1209), and special pattern 1 change start process (S1210).

[Special diagram 1 pass/fail judgment process]
As shown in Fig. 26, in the special pattern 1 hit/miss judgment process (S1207), the process (S1601 to S1609) is performed in the same flow as the special pattern 2 hit/miss judgment process (S1202) shown in Fig. 22. Therefore, detailed explanation of this process is omitted. However, since this process is a process related to the special pattern 1, in S1601, the random number counter value (label-TRND-A) for the special pattern hit/miss judgment stored in the lowest area of the first special pattern reserved memory unit 85a of the RAM (i.e., the RAM area corresponding to the first one of the first special pattern reserved) is read and processed.

[Special Chart 1 Variation Pattern Selection Processing]
As shown in Figures 27 and 28, in the special chart 1 variation pattern selection process (S1208), processing (S1701 to S1712) is performed in the same manner as the special chart 2 variation pattern selection process (S1403) shown in Figures 23 and 24. Therefore, a detailed description of this process will be omitted.

[Special Figure 1: Random number shift processing]
As shown in Fig. 29, in the special chart 1 random number shift process (S1209), first, the number of reserved balls for special chart 1 is decremented by 1 (S1801). Next, the storage location of various counter values in the first special chart reserved memory unit 85a is shifted to the lower side by one (S2002). Then, "0" is set in the top address space of the first special chart reserved memory unit 85a, that is, (if the upper limit number has been stored) the RAM area corresponding to the fourth reserved first special chart is cleared to 0 (S1803), and this process is completed.

After executing the special symbol 1 random number shift process (S1209), the special symbol 1 variation start process (S1210) in FIG. 21 is executed. In the special symbol 1 variation start process (S1210), the special symbol operation status is set to "2" and a variation start command is set in the output buffer of the RAM to start the variation display of the first special symbol.

[Special pattern change processing]
As shown in Fig. 30, in the special symbol variation process (S1104), first, it is determined whether the variation time of the special symbol (variation time determined according to the variation pattern selected in S1203 or S1208 in Fig. 21, see Fig. 9) has elapsed (S1901). If it is determined that the variation time has not elapsed (NO in S1901), the process ends. This allows the variation display of the special symbol to continue.

On the other hand, if it is determined that the fluctuation time has elapsed (YES in S1901), a fluctuation stop command is set (S1902). Then, it is determined whether the high probability flag is ON or not (S1903), and if it is ON (YES in S1903), the high probability counter is decremented by 1 (S1904), and it is determined whether the value of the high probability counter is "0" or not (S1905). If it is determined in S1905 that the high probability counter is "0", the high probability flag is turned OFF and processing transitions to S1907. On the other hand, if it is determined that the high probability flag is not ON (NO in S1903) or if it is determined that the high probability counter is not "0" (NO in S1905), processing transitions to S1907.

Then, in S1907, it is determined whether the time-saving flag is ON or not (S1907), and if it is determined that the time-saving flag is ON (YES in S1907), the value of the time-saving counter that counts the number of times the special pattern has been displayed during the time-saving state is decremented by 1 (S1908), and it is determined whether the value of the time-saving counter is "0" or not (S1909), and if it is "0" (YES in S1909), the time-saving flag is turned OFF (S1910), and the process proceeds to S1911. Also, if it is determined that the time-saving flag is not ON (NO in S1907) or if it is determined that the value of the time-saving counter is not "0" (NO in S1909), the process proceeds to S1911.

In S1911, the special symbol operation status is set to "3" (S1911). Then, other processing is performed, such as stopping the display of the special symbol changes based on the results of the special symbol hit/miss determination random number and the jackpot type determination random number (S1912), and this processing ends.

[Special design confirmation process]
As shown in Fig. 31, in the special symbol determination process (S1106), first, it is determined whether the jackpot flag is ON (S2001). If the jackpot flag is ON (YES in S2001), it is determined whether the type of the current jackpot is a 15R jackpot (15R 11th jackpot or 15R 12th jackpot) (S2002). If it is determined that the type of the jackpot is a 15R jackpot (YES in S2002), the value of the round counter that counts the number of rounds executed during the jackpot game is set to "15" (S2003), and the process proceeds to S2009.

If it is determined in S2002 that the type of jackpot is not a 15R jackpot (NO in S2002), the type of jackpot is a 7R jackpot (any of the 7R 1st jackpot to the 7R 10th jackpot), so the round counter is set to "7" (S2005) and the process moves to S2008.

In S2008, the jackpot opening pattern corresponding to the type of jackpot (type of jackpot) is set (S2008), and the process proceeds to S2009. As mentioned above, the opening pattern of the jackpot opening is determined according to the type of jackpot (see FIG. 6). Specifically, if the jackpot is any of the 7R 1st jackpot to 7R 10th jackpot, the opening pattern for the 7R jackpot corresponding to the respective jackpot is set, and if the 15R 11th jackpot or 15R 12th jackpot is the 15R jackpot opening pattern corresponding to the respective jackpot is set. Then, the corresponding jackpot opening pattern is executed in each jackpot game.

In S2009, the movable piece operation timing according to the type of jackpot is set, and the process proceeds to S2010. As described above, the operation of the movable piece 150 in the V round (the fifth round in this embodiment) is performed based on the number of game balls entering the second big prize winning hole 35 (hereinafter also referred to as the "V attacker"). The number of balls that trigger the operation is determined according to the type of jackpot (see FIG. 47). Specifically, a "first predetermined value (c1) corresponding to the number of balls that determines the first operation timing" and a "second predetermined value (c2) corresponding to the number of balls that determines the second operation timing" that are predetermined according to the type of jackpot are set (predetermined value setting means). The operation of the movable piece 150 is controlled based on the value set in S2009 and the count value (the number of balls entering the V attacker) by the ball counting means in the V round (the fifth round). The second predetermined value (c2) is not set if the type of jackpot is a "V non-passing jackpot", but is set only if the type of jackpot is a "V passing jackpot". The second predetermined value (c2) is different for the 7R 1st jackpot to the 7R 10th jackpot depending on the jackpot type. Therefore, for the 7R 1st jackpot to the 7R 10th jackpot, the number of balls that enter the V attacker (second predetermined value), which triggers the second operation of the movable piece 150, can vary (change) depending on the jackpot type.

In S2010, a jackpot opening command is set to start a jackpot game (S2010). The opening command is determined by the type of jackpot, and is provided for each jackpot, such as an opening command for the 7R first jackpot, an opening command for the 7R second jackpot, etc. Then, the opening command that has been set executes the corresponding opening period. The main control unit 80 transmits the set opening command to the sub-control unit 90 at a predetermined timing by the output process (S201), and the sub-control unit 90 that receives the opening command performs a predetermined game presentation corresponding to the opening period. In addition, in S2011, the opening period of the jackpot game is started (S2011), and the special chart operation status is set to "4" (S2012). Also, if it is determined in S2001 that the jackpot flag is not ON (NO in S2001), the special chart operation status is set to "1" (S2013) and processing ends.

[Special electric device processing (jackpot play)]
As shown in FIG. 32, in the special electric device processing (S1108), first, it is determined whether the probability variable flag is ON or not (S2101), and if it is determined that the probability variable flag is ON (YES in S2101), the probability variable flag is turned OFF (S2102), and then it is determined whether the time-saving flag is ON or not (S2103). If it is determined that the time-saving flag is ON in S2103 (YES in S2103), the time-saving flag is turned OFF (S2104), and the process proceeds to S2105. If it is determined that NO in S2101, the process proceeds to S2103 without turning OFF the probability variable flag, and if it is determined that NO in S2103, the process proceeds to S2105 without turning OFF the time-saving flag. In other words, during the execution of the big win game, it is controlled to a low probability state and a non-time-saving state. In this embodiment, since the low base state is always maintained during the non-time-saving state, the game is also controlled to the low base state during the execution of a jackpot game.

Next, it is determined whether the jackpot end flag is ON (S2105). The jackpot end flag is a flag that indicates that all opening processes of the big prize winning devices (first big prize winning device 31 and second big prize winning device 36) in the jackpot game have ended (the jackpot game has ended). If it is determined that the jackpot end flag is not ON (NO in S2105), it is then determined whether it is time to start a round (S2106). This is determined based on the big prize winning port opening pattern set for each jackpot type described above. For example, if it is before the start of the first round, it is determined whether the opening period has ended and it is the timing to execute the first opening process of the first round. Also, if the first round has already started, it is determined whether the previous round has ended and the specified interval period has ended. Note that the round is also simply called "R" or "round game".

If it is determined in S2106 that it is time to start a round (YES in S2106), a round start command for the corresponding round is set (S2107), a special prize opening process is performed (S2108), and the process ends. This causes the special prize opening to be opened and the specified round begins. In addition, in S2107, a round start command that can specify the round to start is set, such as a "1R start command" for the start of the first round, or a "2R start command" for the start of the second round. The set round start command is sent to the sub-control unit 90 by the output process of S201. In addition, in the special prize opening process of S2108, a special prize opening opening pattern that is determined according to the type of jackpot to be executed and that is determined for the round to be started is started.

If it is determined in S2106 that it is not time to start a round (NO in S2106), the process proceeds to S2111. Here, examples of cases where it is determined that it is not time to start a round include, for example, during an opening period before the start of a round, during a round, and during an interval period after the end of a round. In S2111, it is determined whether or not a round is being executed, that is, whether or not the large prize opening operation based on the predetermined opening pattern started in S2108 is being executed (S2111). If it is determined in S2111 that a round is being executed (the large prize opening operation is being executed) (YES in S2111), it is then determined whether or not the currently executed round is a V round (S2112). As described above, in this embodiment, the fifth round of the big win game is the V round (award determination game), so here, it is determined whether or not it is the fifth round. If the currently executing round is the V round (the fifth round) (YES in S2112), the V round processing described below is performed (S2113); if it is not the V round (if it is a round other than the fifth round), the V round processing (S2113) is not performed and the process moves to S2114.

In S2114, it is determined whether the round end condition for the currently running round has been met (S2114). Here, the round end conditions in this embodiment are defined as follows: (1) the round execution time (in this embodiment, "25 seconds") set for the currently running round has elapsed (or the release pattern set for the currently running round has ended), and (2) the specified number of game balls (in this embodiment, "9 balls") set for the currently running round have entered the ball in the currently running round. Then, when either of the conditions is met, the round end condition is met based on the condition that was met first. When it is determined in S2114 that the round end condition has not been met (NO in S2114), the process ends.

On the other hand, if it is determined in S2114 that the round end condition has been met (YES in S2114), a round end command for the corresponding round is set (S2115), and the process proceeds to S2116. In S2115, a round end command that can identify the round that is ending is set, such as a "1R end command" if the first round is ending, or a "2R end command" if the second round is ending. The set round end command is sent to the sub-control unit 90 by the output process of S201.

In S2116, the large prize opening (first large prize opening 30 or second large prize opening 35) is closed when the round ends, and a process of setting a predetermined interval time (large prize opening closing process) is performed (S2116). Here, in this embodiment, two types of interval time between rounds are provided: "2000 ms (2 seconds)" and "200 ms (0.2 seconds)". The interval time set at the end of the V round (the interval time between the 5th round and the 6th round) is "2000 ms", and the interval time set at the end of other rounds is "200 ms". At the end of the V round, in order to secure time to determine whether the number of balls entered and the number of balls discharged in the V round match or not from the viewpoint of monitoring the presence or absence of ball jamming and preventing fraud, the interval time after the end of the V round is "2000 ms", and the interval time between other rounds is "200 ms". This makes it possible to monitor ball jams and prevent cheating during the V round, while allowing the alternating opening of the first and second major prize openings 30 and 35 to proceed quickly and smoothly during the other rounds.

Next, in S2117, it is determined whether or not the interval time set in the previous big prize opening closing process (S2116) has elapsed (S2117). This S2117 process is also performed following a determination in S2111 that a round is not currently being executed (NO in S2111). If it is determined in S2117 that the interval time has not elapsed (NO in S2117), the process ends as is, and if it is determined that the interval time has elapsed (YES in S2117), the round counter value is decremented by 1 (S2118), and it is determined whether or not the round counter value is "0" (S2119). Then, if it is determined that the round counter value is not "0" (NO in S2119), the process ends in order to start the next round. On the other hand, if it is determined that the round counter value is "0" (YES in S2119), as a jackpot ending process that ends the jackpot game, a jackpot ending command is set and the jackpot ending period is started (S2120), the jackpot ending flag is turned ON (S2121), and the process ends. The round counter value becomes "0" when all rounds in the executed jackpot are completed.

Here, in the jackpot end process in S2120, the process of setting the ending command is performed, and the ending command to be set is selected from a plurality of ending commands based on the game state at the time of the jackpot, the jackpot type information, and the specific area passing/not passing (specific area non-passing) information (whether the V flag is ON or OFF). The ending period to be executed (set) differs depending on the type of ending command to be set. Here, the ending period is the period set after all the opening operations of the large prize winning ports (first large prize winning port 30 and second large prize winning port 35) in the jackpot game are completed and before the variable display of the special pattern (performance pattern) can be executed, and is also called the "end period". During the ending period (end period), the large prize winning ports are closed. The performance executed during this "end period" is also called the "end performance (ending performance)". The opening period is the period before the first opening of the big prize opening during a big win game begins and after the variable display of the special symbols (performance symbols) is disabled, and is also called the "start period." The performance executed during this "start period" is also called the "start performance (opening performance)."

In addition, in a V-round (a jackpot game), information indicating whether or not the game ball passed through a specific area is also called "specific area information." This specific area information includes information indicating that the game ball passed through a specific area in a V-round and information indicating that the game ball did not pass through a specific area in a V-round, and an ending period determination means (end period determination means) that determines the ending period can determine the ending period based on this specific area information.

In S2105, if it is determined that the jackpot end flag is ON (YES in S2105), the final round in the jackpot game is over, so it is determined whether the execution time of the jackpot ending performance has elapsed (S2122), and if it is determined that the ending time has not elapsed (NO in S2122), the process is terminated. On the other hand, if it is determined that the ending time has elapsed (YES in S2122), the jackpot end flag is turned OFF (S2123), and a game state setting process (S2124) described later is performed. Next, the jackpot flag is turned OFF (S2125), the special symbol operation status is set to "1" (S2126), and the process is terminated. As a result, in the next interrupt process, the special symbol standby process (S1102) is executed again as the special symbol operation process (FIG. 20).

[V round processing]
As shown in FIG. 33, in the V round process (S2113), first, it is determined whether the number of game balls entering the V attacker (second large winning hole 35) during the V round, that is, the count value by the aforementioned ball entry counting means, is the first predetermined value (c1) (S2701). As described above, in the V round, the movable piece 150 is operated based on the number of game balls entering the V attacker during the V round, and the "first predetermined value (first count value)" and "second predetermined value (second count value)" that determine the number of balls that trigger the operation are set in the aforementioned S2009. In S2701, it is determined whether the count value by the ball entry counting means in the current V round is the "first predetermined value (c1) corresponding to the number of balls that specifies the first operation timing" set in S2009. In this embodiment, the first predetermined value (c1) is set to "1" regardless of the type of jackpot, so that if the count value by the ball counting means is "1", processing of S2702 is performed, and if it is not "1", processing of S2702 is not performed and processing of S2703 is proceeded to.

In S2702, a specific area opening/closing process is performed in which the specific area 39 is opened and closed by operating the movable piece 150 (S2702). Since the specific area opening/closing process here corresponds to the first operation of the movable piece 150 based on the number of balls entering the V attacker being "1", the operation of the movable piece 150 in this case is performed in a short opening operation pattern (first operation mode) that opens the specific area 39 for only 80 ms (see FIG. 48).

In addition, in S2702, a specific area effective period is set in association with the operation of the movable piece 150. The specific area effective period is a period during which the detection of a game ball by the specific area sensor 39a is determined to be valid (a bonus is awarded). The period other than the effective period is a period during which the detection of a game ball by the specific area sensor 39a is determined to be invalid (a bonus is not awarded). In this embodiment, the specific area effective period is set to be the period from the start of the operation of the movable piece 150 in the V round to the time a predetermined time (for example, 2 seconds) has elapsed after the end of the operation. The reason why the effective period is continued even after the end of the operation of the movable piece 150 is that if a game ball passes through the specific area 39 just before the end of the operation of the movable piece 150 and is detected by the specific area 39a, the detection is treated as valid. Note that since the operation of the movable piece 150 in S2702 is based on a short opening operation pattern, the possibility that the game ball will be detected by the specific area sensor 39a due to the operation is extremely low (substantially zero).

Next, in S2703, it is determined whether the V round (jackpot game) being executed is related to a "V passing scheduled jackpot" (S2703). In the case of a "V passing scheduled jackpot", after the first operation (short opening operation pattern) of the movable piece 150 is performed during the V round, the second operation can be executed by the entry of a game ball into the V attacker thereafter. Therefore, in S2703, it is determined whether the V round being executed is related to a "V passing scheduled jackpot", and if it is determined that it is not a "V passing scheduled jackpot" (NO in S2703), that is, if the V round being executed is related to a "V not passing scheduled jackpot", the processing is terminated as it is. On the other hand, if it is determined that the V round being executed is related to a "V passing scheduled jackpot" (YES in S2703), it is determined whether the count value by the ball counting means is the second predetermined value (c2) (S2704). Here, it is determined whether the count value by the ball counting means in the V round (the number of balls entering the V attacker) is the "second predetermined value (c2) corresponding to the number of balls entering that determines the second operation timing" set in S2009. In this embodiment, the second predetermined value (c2) is set to any of "2" to "9" depending on the type of jackpot of the "V passing scheduled jackpot" (see FIG. 47), so it is determined whether the second predetermined value (c2) is set according to the type of jackpot, for example, "2" if the V round being executed is related to the "7R 1st jackpot" and "6" if it is related to the "7R 5th jackpot" (S2704).

In S2704, if it is determined that the count value by the ball counting means (number of balls entering the V attacker) is a second predetermined value (c2) corresponding to the type of jackpot of the "V Passage Scheduled Jackpot" related to the V round being executed (YES in S2704), the processing of S2705 is performed, and if it is determined that it is not the second predetermined value (c2) (NO in S2704), the processing ends without processing S2705. In S2705, as in the above-mentioned S2702, a specific area opening and closing process is performed to open and close the specific area 39 by operating the movable piece 150 (S2705). However, since the specific area opening/closing process of S2705 corresponds to the second operation of the movable piece 150 based on the number of balls entering the V attacker being any of "2" to "9," the operation of the movable piece 150 in this case is performed in a long opening operation pattern (second operation mode) that opens the specific area 39 for 3000 ms (3 seconds) (see FIG. 48). Also, in S2705, the specific area effective period is set in conjunction with the operation of the movable piece 150. As a result, when the specific area 39 is opened by the operation of the movable piece 150 in S2705 and a game ball is detected by the specific area sensor 39a, the detection is determined to be valid.

Here, when the specific area sensor 39a detects a game ball and the V flag is turned ON (i.e., when the specific area sensor 39a detects a game ball during the valid period), the game status indicator 46 is set to a predetermined display mode, and the game status indicator 46 notifies the player that the game status after the jackpot game ends will be a high probability state. Specifically, the game status indicator 46 is composed of three LEDs, "a1a2a3". In this embodiment, in the normal state (low probability state), the display mode is "a1□a2□a3□" (for example, □: off, ■: on). Also, when the specific area sensor 39a detects a game ball during the jackpot game and the V flag is turned ON, the display mode is "a1■a2■a3■". When the jackpot game ends and the game status is set to a high probability state, the display mode is "a1□a2□a3□". Furthermore, the lighting control timing of the game status indicator 46 is not limited to such timing, and during a jackpot game, the display mode may remain "a1□a2□a3□" even if the game ball passes through a specific area, and when the game transitions to a high probability state after the jackpot game ends, the display mode may change to "a1■a2■a3■", and when the game transitions from the high probability state to a low probability state, the display mode may change to "a1□a2□a3□".

In other words, in the specific area sensor detection process (Figure 35) described below, the V flag is turned ON only when a V passage (passage of the game ball into the specific area 39) is detected during the specific area valid period, and the V flag is not turned ON when a V passage is detected outside the specific area valid period (V invalid period). When the V flag is ON, the special probability flag is turned ON. In other words, the game state after a jackpot game is set to a high probability state (see the game state setting process (Figure 34) described below). In this way, the V flag is prevented from being turned ON based on a V passage caused by fraudulent conduct, i.e., the high probability state is not fraudulently set.

[Game Status Setting Process]
As shown in FIG. 34, in the game state setting process (S2124), first, it is determined whether the V flag is ON (S2201). The V flag is a flag that is turned ON in the specific area sensor detection process (FIG. 35) described later. If it is determined in S2201 that the V flag is ON (YES in S2201), the probability variable flag is turned ON (S2202), the probability variable counter is set to "200" (S2203), and the V flag is turned OFF (S2204). Then, it is determined whether the completed jackpot (the current jackpot) is the 5th jackpot in the 7th round (S2205). If it is the 10th jackpot in the 7th round (YES in S2205), the process is terminated as it is, and if it is not the 10th jackpot in the 7th round (NO in S2205), the time-saving flag is turned ON (S2206), the time-saving counter is set to "200" (S2207), and the process is terminated. That is, in the pachinko game machine 1 of this embodiment, whether or not to set the game state after the jackpot game to a high probability state is determined based on whether or not the V flag is ON in this game state setting process. If it is determined that the jackpot (the current jackpot) that ended in S2205 is the 7R 10th jackpot (YES in S2205), the probability variable flag is ON but the time-saving flag is not ON, so that the game state after the jackpot game in this case is a high probability state, a non-time-saving state, and a low base state (i.e., a high probability low base state). However, as described above, since the possibility that the game ball passes through the specific area 39 in the jackpot game related to the 7R 10th jackpot is extremely low, the possibility that it is determined to be the 7R 10th jackpot in S2205 is extremely low. In other words, the possibility of a high probability low base state is extremely low.

When the V flag is ON, the value set in the high probability counter is the number of times that a high probability special symbol hit/miss determination can be performed. In this embodiment, the high probability counter is set to "200," so the high probability state will continue until 200 special symbol changes (special symbol hit/miss determination) have been performed. However, if a jackpot occurs within the 200 hits, the high probability state will end when the jackpot game is played. In addition, when the high probability flag is ON, the time-saving counter is also set to "200," so while the high probability state is set, the time-saving state (extended open state) is also set, and the time-saving state will end when the high probability state ends.

On the other hand, if it is determined in S2201 that the V flag is OFF (NO in S2201), it is determined whether the completed jackpot (the current jackpot) is the 7R 10th jackpot or not (S2208) without turning the probability variable flag ON. If it is determined in S2208 that the completed jackpot is not the 7R 10th jackpot, that is, that it is a jackpot other than the 7R 10th jackpot shown in FIG. 6 (NO in S2208), the time-saving flag is turned ON (S2209), the time-saving counter is set to "100" (S2210), and the process ends. As a result, the game state after the current jackpot game becomes a low probability state, a time-saving state, and a high base state (i.e., a low probability high base state). Also, even if there is a "V-passing jackpot" such as the first jackpot in 7R, if there is no passing through a specific area during the V round for some reason such as the game ball not being released (V flag is OFF), the high probability state will not be set, and the time-saving state (low probability high base state) will be entered (NO in S2201, NO in S2208, S2209, S2210). This low probability high base state will end when either of the following conditions is met: the special symbol variable display is performed 100 times (the special symbol hit/miss judgment is performed 100 times), or the next jackpot occurs. The time-saving counter and the probability-changing counter count the total number of times the first special symbol variable display and the second special symbol variable display are displayed.

Also, if S2208 determines that the 7R, 10th jackpot has ended (YES in S2208), the process ends without turning on the probability bonus flag or the time-saving flag. In other words, in the case of a 7R, 10th jackpot, if the V flag is OFF (not passing through a specific area (also called "not passing through a specific area")), the game state after the jackpot game is set to a low probability state and low base state (low probability, low base state).

[Specific area sensor detection process]
As shown in Fig. 11, the game control microcomputer 81 performs the special chart operation process (S206) followed by the specific area sensor detection process (S207). In the specific area sensor detection process (S207), as shown in Fig. 35, first, it is determined whether or not a game ball has been detected by the specific area sensor 39a (S2401). If it is determined in S2401 that there has been no detection by the specific area sensor 39a (NO in S2401), the process is terminated. If it is determined in S2401 that there has been detection by the specific area sensor 39a (YES in S2401), it is determined whether or not it is the specific area valid period (S2402).

If it is determined in S2402 that the specific area (specific area sensor) is in the valid period (YES in S2402), the V flag is turned ON (S2403), a specific area passing command is set (S2404), and processing ends. In other words, when the game ball that entered the second large winning port 35 in the V round (fifth round) passes through the specific area 39 during the specific area valid period (detected by the specific area sensor 39a), this triggers the V flag to be turned ON and the specific area passing command is set. Then, the CPU (game control microcomputer 81) of the main control board 80 transmits this specific area passing command to the sub-control board 90 at a predetermined timing by output processing (S201), and the sub-control board 90 executes a predetermined game performance on the display screen 7a (performance pattern display area) etc. based on the received specific area passing command.

Also, if it is determined in S2402 that the specific area (specific area sensor) is not in a valid period (is in an invalid period) (NO in S2402), the V flag is not turned ON and an invalid period passing command is set (S2405), and processing ends. If a game ball passes through the specific area 39 during an invalid period (game ball detected by the specific area sensor 39a), a predetermined error display may be performed on a display device or the like that can be controlled by the main control unit. Furthermore, the CPU of the main control board 80 may transmit this invalid period passing command to the sub-control board 90 at a predetermined timing by output processing (S201), and the sub-control board 90 may perform a predetermined error notification using the image display device 7, frame lamp 66, board lamp 5, speaker 67, etc. based on the received invalid period passing command.

[Non-specific area sensor detection process]
As shown in FIG. 11, the game control microcomputer 81 performs the non-specific area sensor detection process (S208) following the specific area sensor detection process (S207). In the non-specific area sensor detection process (S208), as shown in FIG. 36, first, it is determined whether or not the game ball has been detected by the non-specific area sensor 49a (S2411). Then, if it is determined that there is no detection by the specific area sensor 49a (NO in S2401), the process is terminated. On the other hand, if it is determined in S2411 that there has been detection by the non-specific area sensor 49a (YES in S2411), it is determined whether or not the V round (5th round) of the jackpot game related to the "7R 9th jackpot" or "7R 10th jackpot", which is a V non-passing scheduled jackpot, is being executed (S2412), and if it is being executed (YES in S2412), it proceeds to S2413, and if it is not being executed (NO in S2412), the process is terminated.

In S2413, it is determined whether the number of game balls that have passed through the non-specific area 49 is "9" (S2413). As described above, when game balls are detected by the non-specific area sensor 49a, the number of detections is counted as the number of game balls that have passed through the non-specific area by a non-specific area passing counting means (not shown), and in S2413, it is determined whether the number of game balls that have passed through the non-specific area is "9" by referring to the count value. If the number of game balls that have passed through the non-specific area 49 is not "9" (NO in S2413), the process ends as it is, and if the number of game balls that have passed through the non-specific area 49 is "9" (YES in S2413), a non-specific area passing command is set (S2414) and the process ends. In other words, when nine game balls enter the V attacker (second large prize opening 35) during the V round (fifth round) of the "7R 9th jackpot" or "7R 10th jackpot", passing through the non-specific area 49 (when nine game balls are detected by the non-specific area sensor 49a), a non-specific area passing command is set. Then, the CPU of the main control board 80 transmits this non-specific area passing command to the sub-control board 90 at a predetermined timing by output processing (S201), and the sub-control board 90 executes a predetermined game performance on the display screen 7a (performance pattern display area) or the like based on the received non-specific area passing command.

As mentioned above, in a V round of a jackpot that is not expected to pass through the V, the movable piece 150 operates only once in the short opening operation pattern, so that the game ball that enters the V attacker in that V round does not pass through the specific area 39, and is guided (distributed) to the non-specific area 49. On the other hand, in a V round of a jackpot that is expected to pass through the V, the movable piece 150 operates in the short opening operation pattern when the first ball enters the V attacker, and then the movable piece 150 can operate in the long opening operation pattern when any of the second to ninth balls enter the V attacker. Therefore, in a V round, the second to ninth balls that enter the V attacker can be expected to pass through the specific area 39. Therefore, in this embodiment, the non-specific area passing command is sent to the sub-control board 90 based on the fact that the last ball, the "ninth ball", among the second to ninth balls that can be expected to pass through the specific area 39, passes through the non-specific area 49 without passing through the specific area 39, that is, it is determined that the game balls will not pass through the specific area 39 in this V-round. The number of game balls determined in S2413 does not have to be "9", but can be any number from "2" to "9". In addition, the number (value) of game balls determined in S2413 may be a number (variable value) that can vary between "2" and "9" depending on the type of jackpot, random number lottery, etc. In this way, it is possible to vary the timing at which the non-specific area passing command is sent to the sub-control board 90, and it is possible to diversify the execution timing of the game performance based on the non-specific area passing command.

[Processing at the start of the ball entry]
As shown in FIG. 11, the game control microcomputer 81 performs the start ball entry process (S209) following the non-specific area sensor detection process (S208). As shown in FIG. 37, in the start ball entry process (S209), first, the number of reserved balls for special pattern 1, the number of reserved balls for special pattern 2, and the number of reserved balls for normal pattern stored in the RAM of the main control board 80 are read (S2501). Then, it is determined whether the number of reserved balls for special pattern 2 has increased by "1" (S2502). If it is determined in S2502 that the number of reserved balls for special pattern 2 has increased by "1" (YES in S2502), the process proceeds to S2503. This corresponds to the case where "1" is added to the number of reserved balls for special pattern 2 in S307 in the start hole sensor detection process (S204) based on the game ball entering the second start hole.

On the other hand, if it is determined that the number of reserved balls for special symbol 2 has not increased (NO in S2502), the process proceeds to S2506. In S2503, the latest acquired random number value (acquired information) acquired in the special symbol 2 related random number acquisition process (S308) in the immediately preceding start hole sensor detection process (S204) and stored in the second special symbol reserved memory unit is read (S2503). Next, in S2504, the acquired random number value related to the read second special symbol is determined (S2504). Specifically, the value of the random number counter for determining whether or not the special symbol has been hit (random number value for determining whether or not the special symbol has been hit) acquired when the ball entered the start hole is determined to be a jackpot or a miss depending on the current game state (whether it is a low probability state or a high probability state). In addition, if the judgment result (preliminary judgment result) is a jackpot, the type of jackpot is determined. This corresponds to a pre-judgment (so-called "reservation pre-read") in which a hit/miss judgment (judgment of whether or not it is a jackpot) for the reserved special chart 2 is made prior to the hit/miss judgment (S1303, S1309) in the hit/miss judgment process (S1202).

In addition, the pre-determination can determine whether or not the value matches the jackpot determination value based on the jackpot determination table (see FIG. 8(A)), that is, the jackpot determination table for high probability states in the high probability state, and the jackpot determination table for normal states in the normal state (low probability state). In addition, as another pre-determination mode, a fluctuation pattern information determination table capable of determining fluctuation pattern information is provided, which includes a fluctuation pattern information determination table for normal states (low probability state) and a fluctuation pattern information determination table for high probability states (high probability state). In the pre-determination, it is possible to select a predetermined fluctuation pattern information based on the acquired random number value (such as the value of the random number counter for determining whether or not a special pattern has been hit) and the fluctuation pattern information determination table according to the game state. Then, from the selected fluctuation pattern information, it is possible to identify whether or not there is a jackpot, the type of jackpot, and whether or not a game performance with a high reliability of a jackpot is being executed.

Next, in S2505, game information including at least the reserved ball count data related to the second special symbol read in S2501 and the information pre-determined in S2504 (pre-determined information) is generated as a special symbol 2 start ball entry command, and set in an output buffer for sending commands to the sub-control board 90, which is provided in the RAM of the main control board 80 (S2505). Note that as the special symbol 2 start ball entry command, a part or all of the value of the special symbol 2 acquisition random number read in S2503 may be sent directly to the sub-control board, or the value of the special symbol 2 acquisition random number may not be sent directly, and game information acquired based on the value of the special symbol 2 acquisition random number (for example, the aforementioned variation pattern information, etc.) may be sent.

In addition, by analyzing the special chart 2 start ball entry command sent from the main control unit 80 by the sub-control unit 90, the sub-control unit 90 can identify whether the information is related to a jackpot, how many balls of the second special pattern are reserved, what the jackpot type is, etc. In addition, in this embodiment, by analyzing the special chart 2 start ball entry command, it is possible to determine whether the acquired special chart 2 acquisition random number will be a jackpot when judged in a high probability state, and whether it will be a jackpot when judged in a low probability state. As a result, the sub-control unit 90 can store the received special chart 2 start ball entry command as a reserve (performance reserve information), pre-judge the performance reserve information at a specific timing, and determine whether performance reserve information that will be judged as a jackpot when judged in a low probability state is stored.

In addition, from the viewpoint of preventing fraud, the random number value for determining whether or not a special pattern has been hit is not sent directly to the sub-control unit among the obtained random number values read in S2503. Instead, command data including information indicating the value of the random number counter for determining the type of jackpot (random number value for determining the type of jackpot) and the value of the fluctuation pattern random number counter (fluctuation pattern random number value), as well as information indicating the result of the preliminary judgment, can be generated and set as a special pattern 2 start entry command.

Next, in S2506, similar to the processing related to Special Chart 2 described above, it is determined whether the number of reserved balls for Special Chart 1 has increased by "1" (S2506). If it is determined in S2506 that the number of reserved balls for Special Chart 1 has increased by "1" (YES in S2506), the processing proceeds to S2507. This corresponds to the case where "1" is added to the number of reserved balls for Special Chart 1 in S311 of the starting hole sensor detection processing (S204) based on a game ball entering the first starting hole. On the other hand, if it is determined in S2506 that the number of reserved balls for Special Chart 1 has not increased (NO in S2506), the processing ends as it is.

In S2507, it is determined whether the time-saving flag is ON (S2507), and if it is determined that the time-saving flag is ON, i.e., the high base state (YES in S2507), the process ends as it is. On the other hand, if it is determined that the time-saving flag is OFF, i.e., the low base state (NO in S2507), the process proceeds to the pre-determination process from S2508 onwards. Here, if the time-saving flag is ON, i.e., if the current game state is in a high base state, the opening extension function that increases the frequency of balls entering the second starting hole 21 is activated, and the state is such that the hit/miss judgment of the special pattern 2 (see FIG. 8 (B)) is easily performed. In addition, in this embodiment, as described later, the consumption of the special pattern 2 reservation (the change display of the second special pattern) is executed in priority to the consumption of the special pattern 1 reservation (the change display of the first special pattern) (so-called special pattern 2 priority change machine). In such a configuration, for example, if a pre-determination of special chart 1 is performed and the result is notified to the player through a preview or other presentation, and the result of the pre-determination is clearly indicated as a jackpot, the player can take advantage of the priority of the consumption of the reserved special chart 2 to intentionally eliminate the reserved special chart 2 (set it to "0") at any time, thereby enabling technical intervention such as intentionally generating a jackpot related to the special chart 1 for which the result of the pre-determination was indicated. It is not desirable from the perspective of fairness in the game for the player to be able to adjust the timing of such a jackpot occurrence. For this reason, if the current game state is not a low base state but a high base state (YES in S2507), the process related to the pre-determination of special chart 1 from S2508 onwards is not performed, and this process is terminated.

The processing of S2508 to S2510 is the same as the processing of S316 to S318 described above, but for special symbol 1. That is, the latest acquired random number value (acquired information) acquired in the special symbol 1 related random number acquisition process (S312) in the start hole sensor detection process (S204) and stored in the first special symbol reserved memory unit is read (S2508), a preliminary judgment is made on the read acquired random number value (S2509), and game information including at least the reserved ball count data related to the first special symbol read in S2501 and the information pre-judgment made in S2509 (pre-judgment information) is generated as a special symbol 1 start ball entry command, and set in an output buffer for sending commands to the sub-control board 90, which is provided in the RAM of the main control board 80 (S2510). Note that the advance judgment (reserved pre-read) of S2509 is made prior to the judgment (S1603, S1609) in the special chart 1 judgment process (S1207) described below.

[Power off monitoring process]
As shown in Fig. 11, the game control microcomputer 81 performs the power off monitoring process (S210) following the start ball entry process (S209). In the power off monitoring process (S210), as shown in Fig. 38, first, it is determined whether or not a power off signal has been input (S2601), and if there is no input (NO in S2601), the process ends. On the other hand, if there is a power off signal input (YES in S2601), data regarding the current state of the gaming machine (whether or not it is in a special mode, whether or not it is a winning game, how many balls are reserved, how many times the special mode/time reduction mode is left, etc.) is stored in the RAM (S2602), the power off flag is turned ON (S2603), and then the loop process is performed without returning to the interrupt process (Fig. 11).

[Sub-control main processing]
Next, the operation of the performance control microcomputer 91 (control processing by the sub-control unit 90) will be described with reference to Figs. 39 to 45. The counters, flags, status, buffers, etc. that appear in the operation description of the performance control microcomputer 91 are provided in the RAM of the sub-control board 90 (sub-control unit). When the power supply of the pachinko game machine 1 is turned on, the performance control microcomputer 91 provided in the sub-control board 90 reads out the program of the sub-control main processing shown in Fig. 39 from the ROM of the sub-control board 90 and executes it. As shown in the figure, in the sub-control main processing, first, a CPU initialization process is performed (S4001). In the CPU initialization process (S4001), stack setting, constant setting, CPU 92 setting, SIO, PIO, CTC (interrupt time controller), etc. are set, and various flags, statuses, and counters are reset.

Next, in S4002, it is determined whether the power-off signal is ON and the contents of the RAM of the sub-control board 90 are normal (S4002). If the result of this determination is NO (NO in S4002), the RAM of the sub-control board 90 is initialized (S4003) and the process proceeds to S4004. On the other hand, if the result of the determination is YES (YES in S4002), the RAM of the sub-control board 90 is not initialized and the process proceeds to S4004. That is, if the power-off signal is not ON, or if the contents of the RAM are not normal even if the power-off signal is ON (NO in S4002), the RAM of the sub-control board 90 is initialized, but if the power-off signal is ON due to a power outage or the like but the contents of the RAM are maintained normal (YES in S4002), the RAM is not initialized. When the RAM is initialized, various flags, statuses, and counter values are reset. Note that S4001 to S4003 are executed only once after the power is turned on (when the power is turned on) and are not executed thereafter.

In S4004, interrupts are prohibited. Next, a random number seed update process is executed (S4005). In the random number seed update process (S4005), the values of various random number counters for determining effects are updated. The updated random number counter values are sequentially stored in a predetermined update value storage area (not shown) of the RAM of the sub-control board 90. The random numbers for determining effects include a random number for determining a preview effect that determines a preview effect, and a random number for determining a performance pattern that determines a performance pattern. The method of updating the random numbers can be the same as the random number update process performed by the main control board 80 described above. When updating, the random number value may be added by 2 instead of by 1. The random number for determining effects is obtained at a predetermined timing. This timing can be, for example, when a control signal (starting ball entry command) notifying that a starting ball has been entered is sent from the main control board 80, when a control signal (starting ball entry command) notifying the start of a change is sent from the main control board 80, or when a change performance pattern described later is determined. The acquired random numbers for determining effects are stored in a specified random number counter value storage area (not shown) in the RAM of the sub-control board 90.

When the random number seed update process (S4005) is completed, the command transmission process is executed (S4006). In the command transmission process, various commands (control signals) stored in the output buffer in the RAM of the sub-control board 90 are transmitted to the image control board 100, the voice control board 106, and the lamp control board 107. Each control board (each control unit) that receives the command executes various effects (such as effect pattern game effects and special game effects related to big win games) using various effect devices (such as the image display device 7, the speaker 67, the board lamp 5, the frame lamp 66, and the movable decorative member 14) according to the received command. The effect control microcomputer 91 then permits interrupts (S4007). Thereafter, S4004 to S4007 are looped. While the interrupts are permitted, the reception interrupt process (S4008), the 2 ms timer interrupt process (S4009), and the 10 ms timer interrupt process (S4010) can be executed. By executing these control processes, it becomes possible to control the display of performance patterns and the like executed on the display screen 7a (performance pattern display area 7b) of the image display device 7, control the lighting of various lamps, control the operation of movable decorative members, and control the sound output from the speaker, etc.

[Receive interrupt processing]
In the reception interrupt process (S4008), as shown in FIG. 40, it is determined whether the strobe signal (STB signal) is ON, that is, whether the strobe signal sent from the main control board 80 has been input to the external INT input section of the performance control microcomputer 91 (S4101). If it is determined in S4101 that the strobe signal is not ON (NO in S4101), the process is terminated. On the other hand, if it is determined in S4101 that the strobe signal is ON (YES in S4101), the various commands sent from the main control board 80 are stored in the RAM of the sub-control board 90 (S4102), and the process is terminated. This reception interrupt process (S4008) is executed in priority to other interrupt processes (S4009, S4010).

[2ms timer interrupt processing]
The 2 ms timer interrupt process (S4009) is a process executed every time an interrupt pulse with a 2 ms period is input to the sub-control board 90. As shown in FIG. 41, in the 2 ms timer interrupt process (S4009), first, an input process is performed to create switch data (edge data and level data) based on the detection signal from the performance button detection switches 63c and 63d (S4201). Then, a lamp data output process is performed to output the lamp data created in the 10 ms timer interrupt process (described later) (S4202). Then, a drive data output process is performed to output the drive data for driving the movable decorative member 14 (electrical drive source) (S4203). This drive data is also created in the 10 ms timer interrupt process (described later). Then, a watchdog timer process is performed to reset the watchdog timer (S4204).

[10 ms timer interrupt processing]
The 10 ms timer interrupt process (S4010) is a process executed every time an interrupt pulse with a 10 msec period is input to the sub-control board 90. As shown in FIG. 42, in the 10 ms timer interrupt process (S4010), first, a received command analysis process (S4302) is executed, which will be described later. Next, a switch state acquisition process is executed (S4303) in which the switch data created in the 2 ms timer interrupt process is stored in the RAM of the sub-control board 90 as switch data for the 10 ms timer interrupt process, and then a switch process is executed (S4304) in which the display contents of the display screen 7a are set based on the switch data stored in the switch state acquisition process. After that, other processes are executed, such as creating lamp data (data for controlling the lighting of the panel lamp 5 and the frame lamp 66) and updating the random number for determining the performance (S4305).

[Received command analysis process]
As shown in FIG. 43, in the received command analysis process (S4302), first, it is determined whether or not a start ball entry command has been received from the main control board 80 (S4395). If it is determined that the start ball entry command has not been received (NO in S4395), the process proceeds to S4401. If it is determined that the start ball entry command has been received (YES in S4395), the process proceeds to S4401 by performing a performance hold information storage process (S4400). The performance hold information storage process (S4400) stores various information (game information such as pre-determination results, random number values for determining the type of big win, and variable pattern random number values) contained in the start ball entry command (special pattern 1 start ball entry command or special pattern 2 start ball entry command) received in S4395 in a predetermined performance hold information storage area of the RAM of the sub-control board 90 in a shift memory format according to the type of special pattern (first special pattern, second special pattern) and the number of special pattern reserved balls at the time of transmission and reception of the start ball entry command (command generation time). For example, if the received start ball entry command is a special chart 1 start ball entry command corresponding to the reserved ball number "4" of special chart 1, the information such as the preliminary judgment result and the hit type included in the special chart 1 start ball entry command is stored as special chart 1 performance reserved information in the area corresponding to the reserved number 4 in the special chart 1 performance reserved information storage area. The performance reserved information stored in this way is used to execute various performances such as variable performances, preview performances, and performance modes, which will be described later. The storage contents (performance reserved information) of the performance reserved information storage area in the sub-control board 90 are consistent with the storage contents (acquired information) of the special chart reserved storage unit (first special chart reserved storage unit, second special chart reserved storage unit) in the main control board (main control unit) 80 described above. For this reason, the performance reserved information storage area of the sub-control board 90 can also be called an "acquired information storage means."

In S4401, it is determined whether or not a fluctuation start command has been received from the main control board 80 (S4401), and if it is determined that a fluctuation start command has been received (YES in S4401), the fluctuation performance start process (S4402) described below is performed and the process proceeds to S4406. If it is determined that a fluctuation start command has not been received (NO in S4401), the process proceeds to S4406 without performing the fluctuation performance start process. In S4406, it is determined whether or not a fluctuation stop command has been received from the main control board 80 (S4406), and if it is determined that a fluctuation stop command has been received (YES in S4406), a fluctuation performance end process is performed (S4407) in which the performance pattern is stopped and the fluctuation performance is ended. In the fluctuation performance end process (S4407), a fluctuation performance end command for stopping the display of the performance pattern 8 and ending the fluctuation performance is set in an output buffer in the RAM of the sub-control board 90. When the set variable performance end command is sent to the image control board 100 by the command sending process (S4006), the image control microcomputer 101 stops the display of the performance pattern 8 that was being displayed on the display screen 7a of the image display device 7, and ends the variable performance (performance pattern game performance). On the other hand, if it is determined in S4406 that the variable performance stop command has not been received (NO in S4406), the variable performance end process is not performed and the process proceeds to S4408. Note that variable performance refers to various performances that are performed in conjunction with the variable display of the special pattern.

Next, in S4408, it is determined whether an opening command has been received from the main control board 80 (S4408), and if it is determined that an opening command has been received (YES in S4408), a special game performance selection process is performed to select a pattern (performance mode) of a special game performance to be executed during a special game (jackpot game) (S4409). The special game performance includes at least an opening performance executed during the opening period before the opening of the large prize opening (before the start of the first round) accompanying the start of the special game, and a round performance (jackpot game performance) executed in accordance with the progress of a round game (ball entry game into the large prize opening) during the special game (jackpot game). In this embodiment, an opening command corresponding to the type of jackpot is transmitted from the main control board 80, and the length of the opening period (opening time), opening performance, round performance, etc. corresponding to the type of jackpot to be started this time are specified by the opening command. Then, in the special game effect selection process (S4409), a special game start command that can specify the effect pattern of the selected special game effect (opening effect, round effect, etc.) and information based on the received opening command (type of opening command, opening time, jackpot type related to the jackpot game at the start timing, etc.) is set in the output buffer in the RAM of the sub-control board 90. When this set special game start command is sent to the image control board 100 by the command sending process (S4006), the image control microcomputer 101 executes the special game effect on the display screen 7a of the image display device 7 in accordance with the progress of the jackpot game.

Specifically, for example, if the type of jackpot that is to be started this time is a 15R 11th jackpot, an opening performance indicating the start of a jackpot game related to a "V-passing jackpot", that is, a jackpot game premised on the occurrence of a high probability state, is performed on the display screen 7a of the image display device 7. In this case, the opening performance is a performance that gives the impression of the start of a jackpot game premised on the acquisition of a large number of prize balls and the transition to a high probability high base state, and for example, text images such as "super jackpot" or "V jackpot" are displayed on the display screen 7a of the image display device 7. Then, following the opening performance, a round performance corresponding to the 15R jackpot is developed on the display screen 7a of the image display device 7 in accordance with the progress of the round (based on the reception of a round start command in S4418 described later).

In addition, if the type of jackpot that is to be started this time is a 15R 12th jackpot, an opening performance indicating the start of a jackpot game related to a "V not yet passed jackpot", that is, a jackpot game that is premised on not generating a high probability state, is performed on the display screen 7a of the image display device 7. In this case, the opening performance is a performance that emphasizes the start of a jackpot game that is premised on the acquisition of prize balls and the transition to a time-saving state (high base state), and for example, text images such as "jackpot" or "chance jackpot" are displayed on the display screen 7a of the image display device 7. Then, following the opening performance, a round performance corresponding to the 15R jackpot is developed on the display screen 7a of the image display device 7 in accordance with the progress of the round (based on the reception of a round start command in S4418 described later).

In addition, if the type of jackpot that starts this time is a 7R jackpot (7R 1st jackpot to 7R 10th jackpot), regardless of whether it is a "V-passing jackpot" or a "V-non-passing jackpot", an opening effect indicating the start of a game aiming for a chance to win (high probability state occurrence) is performed on the display screen 7a of the image display device 7. In this case, the opening effect is an effect that emphasizes the start of a game in which the chance to win a chance to win is bet, and for example, a text image such as "Crazy chance challenge start" is displayed on the display screen 7a of the image display device 7, or a background image dedicated to the 7R jackpot is displayed. Then, in the jackpot game related to the 7R jackpot, an effect (crazy chance challenge effect) depicting a challenge to win a chance to win is performed as a special game effect (round effect).

Here, if the 7R 10th jackpot occurs in a game state without low-probability time-saving (normal state), the amount of profit (number of prize balls) that can be obtained is smaller than that of a 15R jackpot, and the game state after the jackpot game ends will be in a state without low-probability time-saving (normal state). In addition, since it is set as a "V-unpassed jackpot", it will not be in a high-probability state. On the other hand, if a 15R jackpot occurs, the game state after the jackpot game ends will be set to a high-probability high-base state (high probability state) or a low-probability high-base state (time-saving state). In other words, as a jackpot (related to the first special pattern) that usually occurs in a low-probability no-time-saving state, the 7R 10th jackpot can be said to be the jackpot with the lowest profit compared to other jackpots. If the player quickly finds out that the jackpot type is a 7R 10th jackpot when the result of the special pattern hit/miss judgment is a jackpot, he or she may be somewhat disappointed and lose motivation to play. This possibility becomes even more pronounced if the jackpot you finally get after playing for a long time is the 10th jackpot in the 7th round.

In this embodiment, when a 7R jackpot occurs, a sure-win challenge is performed during the jackpot game to make it difficult for the player to distinguish whether the jackpot won is a "V-passing jackpot (7R 1st jackpot to 7R 8th jackpot)" or a "V-non-passing jackpot (7R 9th jackpot or 7R 10th jackpot)". Here, in this embodiment, the large prize opening pattern is the same regardless of whether it is a "V-passing jackpot" or a "V-non-passing jackpot". For this reason, it is difficult to determine the type of jackpot being played (predict the outcome of the V round) based on the opening pattern of the V attacker in the V round. Taking advantage of this, by implementing a probability jackpot challenge presentation in the case of a 7R jackpot, the 7R jackpot game gives the player the impression that it is a game in which the main purpose is to get a probability jackpot, unlike a 15R jackpot game in which the main purpose is to get a large number of prize balls, and aims to prevent a decline in motivation to play and maintain and increase interest in the game. The probability jackpot challenge presentation will be described later.

Next, it is determined whether an ending command has been received from the main control board 80 (S4410), and if it is determined that an ending command has been received (YES in S4410), an ending performance selection process is performed (S4411) to select the pattern of the performance at the end of the special game (ending performance) and the type of performance mode after the special game ends, and processing of S4412 (Figure 44) is performed. In this embodiment, an ending command corresponding to the type of jackpot and whether the game ball has passed through the specific area 39 during the jackpot game (5th round) is transmitted from the main control board 80, and the length of the ending period (ending time) is determined by the ending command. Then, in the ending effect selection process (S4411), a special game end command that can specify the effect pattern of the selected ending effect and information based on the received ending command (type of ending command, ending time, type of jackpot related to the ended jackpot game, presentation mode after the jackpot game, etc.) is set in the output buffer in the RAM of the sub-control board 90. When this set special game end command is sent to the image control board 100 by the command sending process (S4006), the image control microcomputer 101 executes the effect related to the end of the jackpot game on the display screen 7a of the image display device 7.

On the other hand, if it is determined in S4408 that an opening command has not been received (NO in S4408), the process proceeds to S4410 without performing special game effect selection processing, and if it is determined in S4410 that an ending command has not been received (NO in S4410), the process proceeds to S4412 (Figure 44) without performing ending effect selection processing.

In S4412, it is determined whether or not a specific area passing command has been received from the main control board 80 (S4412), and if not (NO in S4412), the process proceeds to S4416, and if it has been received (YES in S4412), it is determined whether or not the command reception is due to passing through a specific area in a 7R jackpot (S4413). Then, if the received specific area passing command is based on passing through a specific area in a 7R jackpot (YES in S4413), a successful performance designation command that instructs the execution of a successful performance (first specific performance) related to the aforementioned probability change challenge performance is set in the output buffer in the RAM of the sub-control board 90 (S4414), and a V-pass designation command that notifies the occurrence of a V-pass is set in the output buffer in the RAM of the sub-control board 90 (S4415). On the other hand, if the received specific area passing command is for a jackpot other than a 7R jackpot, i.e., a 15R jackpot (NO in S4413), the process proceeds to S4145 without processing S4414. In other words, only the V pass command is set without setting the success performance command.

When the success performance designation command set in S4414 is sent to the image control board 100 by the command sending process (S4006), the image control microcomputer 101 reads image data for the success performance, which indicates that the player has succeeded in winning the probability bonus in the probability bonus challenge performance (that the current jackpot is a jackpot that is scheduled to pass through the V), from the ROM of the image control board 100, and executes a success performance (first specific performance) based on the read image data on the display screen 7a of the image display device 7. Success performance will be described later.

When the V-passing command set in S4415 is sent to the image control board 100 by the command sending process (S4006), if the jackpot game being played is a 15R jackpot game, the image control microcomputer 101 reads image data for notifying the player that a V-passing has occurred from the ROM of the image control board 100, and executes a V-passing notification effect based on the read image data on the display screen 7a of the image display device 7. Examples of V-passing notification effects include displaying a character image of "V" on the display screen 7a, or outputting a sound effect indicating V-passing. In addition, a V-passing notification effect is also performed when the jackpot game being played is related to a 7R jackpot, but since the V-passing notification effect in this case is an effect performed under the aforementioned probability change challenge effect, it is a V-passing notification effect dedicated to the probability change challenge effect. Examples of V-passing notification effects in this case include displaying a character image of "Probability Change GET!!" on the display screen 7a.

Although the possibility is extremely low, in a jackpot game related to the "7R 9th jackpot" or "7R 10th jackpot", which are jackpots scheduled not to pass V, if the game ball that entered the V attacker in the V round passes through the specific area 39, a successful performance designation command and a V pass designation command are set (S4414, S4415), and these commands are sent to the image control board 100 by the command sending process (S4006). Also, in a jackpot game related to the "15R 12th jackpot", which is a jackpot scheduled not to pass V, if the game ball that entered the V attacker in the V round passes through the specific area 39, a V pass designation command is set (S4415), and the command is sent to the image control board 100 by the command sending process (S4006).

Next, in S4416, it is determined whether or not a non-specific area passing command has been received from the main control board 80 (S4416). As described above, the non-specific area passing command is transmitted from the main control board 80 based on nine game balls passing through the non-specific area 49 as the game balls enter the V attacker in the V round of the jackpot game related to the "7R 9th jackpot" or the "7R 10th jackpot". For this reason, the non-specific area passing command is received when the jackpot game (V round) related to the 7R 9th jackpot or the 7R 10th jackpot is being played. If a non-specific area passing command is received (YES in S4416), a failure effect designation command that instructs the execution of a failure effect (second specific effect) related to the aforementioned special chance challenge effect is set in the output buffer in the RAM of the sub-control board 90 (S4417), and processing proceeds to S4418; if a non-specific area passing command is not received (NO in S4416), processing proceeds to S4418 without executing processing of S4417.

When the failure effect designation command set in S4417 is sent to the image control board 100 by the command sending process (S4006), the image control microcomputer 101 reads image data for the failure effect from the ROM of the image control board 100, indicating that the player has failed to obtain the special chance in the special chance challenge effect (indicating that the current jackpot is a jackpot that is not scheduled to pass V), and executes a failure effect (second specific effect) based on the read image data on the display screen 7a of the image display device 7. The failure effect will be described later.

Next, in S4418, it is determined whether or not a round start command has been received from the main control board 80 (S4418), and if it is determined that a round start command has not been received (NO in S4418), the process proceeds to S4420. If it is determined that a round start command has been received (YES in S4418), a round designation command corresponding to the received round start command is set in the output buffer in the RAM of the sub-control board 90 (S4419), and the process proceeds to S4420. The round start command sent from the main control board 80 contains information that can identify which round is the round to be started (start round), and the CPU (performance control microcomputer 91) of the sub-control board 90 identifies the round number of the start round based on the received round start command, and sets the round designation command indicating that round number in the output buffer. When the round designation command is sent to the image control board 100 by the command sending process (S4006), the image control microcomputer 101 executes a round presentation on the display screen 7a of the image display device 7 that corresponds to the number of rounds specified based on the round designation command and is in line with the jackpot game being played.

In S4420, other processing related to performance control is performed, and then this process ends. Other processing performed in S4420 includes processing based on received commands other than the commands mentioned above (for example, a normal symbol change start command, a normal symbol change stop command, etc.).

[Variable performance start processing]
Next, the variable performance start process (S4402) performed based on the reception of the variable performance start command in the received command analysis process (S4302) will be described. As shown in FIG. 45, in the variable performance start process (S4402), first, in S4501, the performance control microcomputer 91 performs a performance determination random number process (S4501) to acquire various performance determination random numbers such as a variable performance determination random number, a notice performance determination random number, a performance pattern determination random number, and a specific performance determination random number. In this embodiment, at the timing when the variable start command is received from the main control unit 80, the process of S4501 is performed to acquire a predetermined value (acquired information) from each random number. Based on the acquired value, the mode of the performance pattern game performance to be executed, the notice performance, the performance pattern to be displayed, etc. are determined.

Next, in S4502, the microcomputer 91 for controlling the performance analyzes the variation start command (S4502). The variation start command includes a variation pattern designation command (information for designating a variation pattern) that designates the variation pattern selected in the variation pattern selection process for the first special symbol or the second special symbol. The information for designating the variation pattern includes the variation pattern information (P1 to P22) shown in FIG. 9, game state information that designates the current game state, the result of the first special symbol hit/miss judgment or the second special symbol hit/miss judgment, and pattern information that designates the jackpot type (see FIG. 8). In addition, since there are variation pattern designation commands corresponding to the first special symbol and those corresponding to the second special symbol, by analyzing the variation pattern designation command, it is possible to determine whether the performance pattern game performance (variation display of the performance pattern) to be started this time is related to the special symbol 1 or the special symbol 2. In addition, these variation pattern information, game state information, pattern information, etc. can be used in other processes other than the variation performance start process to be executed thereafter.

Next, at S4503, the performance control microcomputer 91 references the current mode status (S4503). The mode status is used to determine the performance mode to be executed. The mode status is a value between "1" and "5", and each value is assigned to a performance mode A to E. Specifically, mode status "1" corresponds to performance mode A, mode status "2" corresponds to performance mode B, mode status "3" corresponds to performance mode C, and mode status "4" corresponds to performance mode D. By referencing the current mode status, it is possible to identify the current performance mode.

Here, the presentation mode refers to the manner of presentation in the image display device 7, and when the presentation mode is different, some or all of the presentation modes of the game presentation, such as the preview presentation and the reach presentation, are different. Specifically, the image displayed on the image display device 7 is different, such as the characters, items, and background images that appear, and the presentation pattern game presentation can also be executed in a manner corresponding to the presentation mode. In addition, when multiple game presentations (preview presentations, reach presentations, etc.) are provided, different game presentations may be executed depending on the presentation mode. In this embodiment, presentation mode A (mode status "1") is executed when controlled to a low probability low base state, presentation mode B (mode status "2") is executed when controlled to a low probability high base state (time-saving game state), and presentation mode C (mode status "3") is executed when controlled to a high probability high base state (probability change game state). Therefore, by checking which of the presentation modes A to C is in, the player can understand the current game state.

In addition, presentation mode D (mode status "4") is executed when, although the possibility is extremely low, the game ball passes through specific area 39 in the V round (5th round) of the jackpot game related to the 10th jackpot in Round 7, and the game state after the jackpot game is controlled to a high probability low base state. By confirming that the presentation mode is E, the player can understand the current game state.

Next, in S4504, a variable performance pattern determination table (not shown) is set to determine the pattern (variable performance pattern) of the variable performance performed using the image display device 7, the panel lamp 5, the movable decorative member 14, etc. (S4504). Specifically, the variable performance pattern determination table to be used is set based on the mode status (current performance mode) referred to in S4503 and the variable performance pattern designation command received from the main control unit 80. For example, if the variable performance pattern information designated by the received variable pattern designation command is "P1 (variable pattern P1)" (see FIG. 9), the variable performance pattern determination table at the time of a big win corresponding to the current performance mode is set as the variable performance pattern determination table. In this embodiment, since multiple variable performance pattern determination tables corresponding to the performance mode (mode status) are pre-stored in the ROM of the sub-control board 90, in S4504, a table corresponding to the mode status (current performance mode) referred to in S4503 is selected from those variable performance pattern determination tables and set. The variable presentation pattern determination table is primarily used to determine the execution mode of the presentation pattern game presentation (such as the variation mode of the presentation pattern), and multiple variable presentation pattern determination tables are pre-stored in the ROM of the sub-control board 90. In S4504, one of the multiple variable presentation pattern determination tables is set.

Next, in S4505, a variable presentation pattern that matches the specified variable presentation pattern is selected and set based on the variable presentation determination random number obtained in S4501 and the variable presentation pattern determination table set in S4504 (S4505). The variable presentation pattern is set as the variable presentation mode (execution mode of the presentation pattern game presentation) of the presentation pattern 8 displayed in the presentation pattern display area 7b. This determines whether the presentation pattern game presentation will execute a reach presentation (reach presentation pattern game presentation), execute a character presentation using a specific character (character presentation pattern game presentation), or not execute a reach presentation or character presentation (no reach presentation pattern game presentation). In addition, the reach effect refers to, for example, when the display mode of the effect pattern 8 when the result of the special pattern hit/miss judgment indicates a hit, in which the three effect patterns 8L, 8C, and 8R are all the same (double number) (hit mode, specific mode), two of the three effect patterns 8L, 8C, and 8R are displayed (temporarily stopped) as the patterns that constitute the hit mode, and the remaining one continues to display fluctuatingly, and indicates whether the remaining one effect pattern is displayed as a pattern that completes the hit mode. In addition, in S4505, the effect pattern 8 to be displayed (also called "stop effect pattern") is determined and set based on the effect pattern determination random number obtained in S4501 and the stop pattern determination table (not shown). The performance pattern 8 displayed as a result of the performance pattern game performance is a repeat number of odd numbers such as "777" (a jackpot pattern, a specific pattern) when the result of the special pattern hit/miss is a 15R 11th jackpot, and is a repeat number of even numbers such as "666" (a jackpot pattern, a specific pattern). In addition, when there is a reach and a miss, one of the three performance patterns 8L, 8C, and 8R such as "787" is a different performance pattern from the other performance patterns, and when there is a reach and a miss, at least one of the three performance patterns 8L, 8C, and 8R such as "635" is a different performance pattern from the other performance patterns. In addition, when the result of the special pattern hit/miss is a 7R jackpot, it is a repeat number other than "777", a predetermined chance number such as "135", or a special pattern such as "3★3". This is because the 7R jackpot game is positioned as a game where you aim to win a chance to win. In addition, the stop display mode of the performance pattern 8, such as a chance eye or a special pattern, in the case of a 7R jackpot can also be considered a jackpot mode or a special mode. These stop display modes of the performance pattern 8 are just examples, and what is displayed as the stop performance pattern when a jackpot occurs can be changed as appropriate.

In the pachinko game machine 1 of this embodiment, the following are set as the variation mode (variation presentation pattern) of the presentation pattern 8: reach A, reach B, reach C, super reach (also called "SP reach") A, super reach B, super reach C, character presentation, etc., and in S4505, based on the variation presentation pattern determination table, it is determined which of these presentations will be performed, or whether these presentations will not be performed (also called "normal variation"). Then, when a reach presentation pattern game presentation is executed, a reach presentation is set based on the variation pattern designation command and the variation presentation pattern determination table. Here, when a super reach presentation is executed as a presentation pattern game presentation, it is set so that the possibility of a jackpot is higher than when a normal reach presentation is executed. In other words, it can be said that the super reach presentation is a game presentation with a higher jackpot reliability (possibility of a jackpot) than the reach (normal reach) presentation. Furthermore, reach effects can be set (executed) primarily when a fluctuation pattern designation command is received that designates a fluctuation pattern with a fluctuation time of 30,000 ms or more (see Figure 9).

In S4505, a variable performance pattern corresponding to one of various variable performances including reach performance is set based on the results of the processing of S4501 to S4504 (S4505). Then, in the following S4506, a variable performance start command for starting a performance pattern game performance based on the variable performance pattern set in S4505 is set in an output buffer in the RAM of the sub-control board 90 (S4506), and the variable performance start processing ends. When the variable performance start command set in S4506 is sent to the image control board 100 by the command sending processing (S4006), the image control microcomputer 101 reads out from the ROM of the image control board 100 the variable performance pattern specified based on the variable performance start command, that is, the predetermined image data corresponding to the variable performance pattern set in S4505, and executes the variable performance based on the read image data on the display screen 7a of the image display device 7.

The above is the main processing of the presentation control in this embodiment, but in the pachinko gaming machine 1 of this embodiment, in the case of a 7R jackpot (a jackpot scheduled to pass V or a jackpot scheduled not to pass V), a "probability change challenge presentation" is performed as described above. By performing this "probability change challenge presentation" by the end of the V round (the 5th round) (before the start of the 6th round), it gives the player the impression that the 7R jackpot game is a game in which the main purpose is to obtain a probability change, thereby increasing the player's interest in the game. The "probability change challenge presentation" is explained below.

[Chance Challenge Performance]
Fig. 49 shows the "probability change challenge effect", which is one aspect of the effect executed on the display screen 7a of the image display device 7 during a jackpot game related to a 7R jackpot. The probability change challenge effect is performed from the opening of the 7R jackpot to the end of 5R (end of the V round), so Fig. 49 shows the effect (effect display content) during that time. The effect forms shown in Figs. 49(a) to (d) are common to the "7R 1st jackpot to 7R 8th jackpot", which are jackpots scheduled to pass V, and the "7R 9th jackpot and 7R 10th jackpot", which are jackpots scheduled not to pass V.

When the jackpot game for the 7R jackpot starts, the sub-control board 90 receives an opening command from the main control board 80 (S4408), and the "opening performance" shown in FIG. 49(a) is performed on the display screen 7a. This opening performance indicates the start of a game in which the aim is to win a special chance (hereinafter also referred to as a "special chance challenge game").

Subsequently, when the first round of the 7R jackpot game is executed, the sub-control board 90 receives a 1R start command from the main control board 80 (S4418), and the display screen 7a displays a "challenge selection effect" as shown in FIG. 49(b). The challenge selection effect is an effect in which a character on the player's side (hereinafter also referred to as an "ally character") selects a game to challenge for the chance of winning a special bonus. In this embodiment, four types of games are prepared in advance as games to be challenged: "baseball", "soccer", "sumo", and "quiz", and one is selected at random from among these. The selection result is shown by a roulette effect, and the selection result is shown by the end of the first round. In other words, the game to be challenged is decided. This decision may be made based on the player's operation of the effect button 63.

When the first round ends and the 7R jackpot game progresses to the second round or later, a scene is displayed on the display screen 7a in which an ally character challenges the game selected in the first round (hereinafter, also referred to as a "challenge scene"), as shown in FIG. 49(c). In the challenge scene, for example, if the game being challenged is baseball, a scene in which an ally character challenges a challenge theme such as "hit a home run" or "strike out a strong hitter" is displayed on the display screen 7a, and if the game being challenged is a quiz, a scene in which an ally character challenges a challenge theme such as "answer all quiz questions correctly" or "beat the quiz king" is displayed on the display screen 7a. Similarly, for soccer and sumo, a scene in which the ally character challenges a challenge theme corresponding to each game is displayed on the display screen 7a.

The challenge performance begins when the sub-control board 90 receives a 2R start command from the main control board 80 (S4418), and then ends when the sub-control board 90 receives a 4R end command, timing the end of the 4th round. When the 4th round ends (the challenge performance ends) and the V attacker is released in the following 5th round (V round), a performance is performed on the display screen 7a indicating that the result of the challenge shown in the previous challenge performance will be announced (hereinafter also referred to as the "announcement performance"), as shown in FIG. 49(d).

When the game ball lands in the V attacker while the announcement performance is being performed (i.e., during the V round), the "success performance" shown in FIG. 49 (e1) or the "failure performance" shown in FIG. 49 (e2) is then performed on the display screen 7a. The success performance is a performance that indicates that the challenge by the ally character in the previous challenge performance has been successful. On the other hand, the failure performance is a performance that indicates that the challenge by the ally character in the previous challenge performance has been unsuccessful.

Here, if the 7R jackpot game being played is one of the "7R 1st jackpot to 7R 8th jackpot" that are V-passing jackpots, the operation of the movable piece 150 is performed in a long opening operation pattern (second operation mode) based on any of the 2nd to 9th balls entering the V attacker during the announcement performance (V round), and the game ball related to the ball that triggered the operation is guided to the specific area 39 and detected by the specific area sensor 39a, and a specific area passing command is sent from the main control board 80 (S2405). Based on the fact that the sub-control board 90 receives this specific area passing command (S4412), a success performance is performed (S4414). This success performance is a performance that indicates that the probability of winning has been successfully achieved, and can also be said to be a performance that indicates (makes the player recognize) that the current jackpot is a V-passing jackpot.

Here, the operation timing of the movable piece 150 can change depending on the number of balls that trigger the operation of the movable piece 150 (second predetermined value c2, see Figure 47), which is set according to the type of 7R jackpot (jackpot scheduled to pass through V) that is executed, and therefore the execution timing of the successful performance can also change depending on the type of 7R jackpot (jackpot scheduled to pass through V) that is executed. For this reason, it becomes difficult for the player to determine when the successful performance will be performed during the V round. In other words, it becomes difficult to determine when the game ball that enters the V attacker in the V round will pass through the specific area 39.

On the other hand, if the 7R jackpot game being played is the "7R 9th jackpot" or "7R 10th jackpot", which are jackpots not scheduled to pass through the V, the action of the movable piece 150 is performed in the short opening action pattern (first action mode) based on the first ball that enters the V attacker during the announcement performance (during the V round), so it is highly unlikely that the game ball will be guided to the specific area 39 during the V round. Therefore, when a game ball enters the V attacker during the announcement performance and nine game balls are detected by the non-specific area sensor 49a, a non-specific area passing command is sent from the main control board 80 (S2414). Based on the fact that the sub-control board 90 has received this non-specific area passing command (S4416), a failure performance is performed (S4417). This failure performance is a performance that indicates that the probability of winning has failed, and it can also be said to be a performance that indicates (makes the player recognize) that the current jackpot is a jackpot not scheduled to pass through the V.

Here, the transmission of the non-specific area passing command from the main control board 80 is performed based on the detection of nine game balls by the non-specific area sensor 49a in the V round. In addition, for the "7R 8th jackpot" among the V passing scheduled jackpots, the number of balls that enter (the second predetermined value c2) that triggers the operation of the movable piece 150 is "9" (see FIG. 47). Therefore, during the execution of the announcement performance (during the V round), if the number of game balls that enter the V attacker reaches eight but a successful performance is not performed, a successful performance or a failed performance will be performed based on the ninth ball entering. And, in this embodiment, since the prescribed number of balls that can enter the big prize hole in one round of play is "9", the ninth ball entering corresponds to the last ball entering. For this reason, in the probability challenge performance of this embodiment, it is possible to make the player have a sense of expectation for successful probability winning (i.e., V passing) until the last ball enters in the V round.

Also, as shown in FIG. 49 (e1), when a success effect is performed, a V-pass notification effect is also performed in addition to the success effect. The V-pass notification effect is performed (S4415) when the sub-control board 90 receives a specific area passing command from the main control board 80 (S4412), and explicitly notifies the player that a V-pass has occurred. In this embodiment, the words "GET SPECIFIC VARIATION!!" are displayed on the display screen 7a.

The above "success effect + V passing notification effect" and "failure effect" are both performed until the end of the fifth round (V round). Then, in the sixth and seventh rounds of the 7R jackpot game, a round effect is performed in a manner according to the result of the previous probability change challenge effect ("success effect + V passing notification effect" or "failure effect"). Specifically, if the 7R jackpot game being played is a V passing scheduled jackpot, then based on the fact that the sub-control board 90 has received a 6R start command after receiving a specific area passing command from the main control board 80 (S4418), for example, a round effect (dedicated effect) with a dedicated effect image celebrating the successful acquisition of the probability change is started, and this effect is performed until the end of the seventh round. On the other hand, if the 7R jackpot game being played is a jackpot that is not scheduled to pass V, then based on the fact that the sub-control board 90 has received a 6R start command after receiving a non-specific area pass command from the main control board 80 (S4418), a round effect (special effect) will be started with a special effect image that encourages a second challenge to obtain a special chance (continuation of the game), and this effect will be continued until the end of the 7th round.

In this way, when a 7R jackpot game is played, the display screen 7a of the image display device 7 displays a series of effects (probability challenge effects) shown in Figures 49(a) to (e1) or (e2) until the end of the fifth round (V round) of the jackpot game, regardless of whether the jackpot is a "V-passing jackpot" or a "V-non-passing jackpot." Also, as mentioned above, the opening and closing operation of the second large winning port 35 (V attacker) is the same for a V-passing jackpot and a V-non-passing jackpot. For this reason, unless the player directly grasps the result of the special pattern hit/miss determination by looking at the special pattern (jackpot pattern) displayed on the first special pattern display 41a or the second special pattern display 41b, it will be extremely difficult (effectively impossible) for the player to recognize (distinguish) whether a "V-passing jackpot (any of the 7R 1st jackpot to 7R 8th jackpot)" or a "V-not-passing jackpot (7R 9th jackpot or 7R 10th jackpot)" has occurred, at least from the start of the 7R jackpot game until the success or failure effect shown in Figure 49 (e1) or (e2) is performed.

Here, among the various effects that make up the special chance challenge effect described based on FIG. 49, the "success effect" and "failure effect" shown in FIG. 49 (e1) and (e2) can be said to be effects that indicate whether the special chance was successfully acquired or not, as described above, or in other words, effects that indicate the result of the current V-round (benefit determination game) in an identifiable manner. For this reason, the "success effect" and "failure effect" of this embodiment correspond to one aspect of the "specific effect" of the present invention. Also, among the "success effect" and "failure effect", the "success effect" can be regarded as a "first specific effect" that indicates success in acquiring the special chance, and the "failure effect" can be regarded as a "second specific effect" that indicates failure in acquiring the special chance.

Furthermore, among the various effects that make up the special chance challenge effect, the effects in Figures 49(a)-(d), namely the "opening effect", "selection effect", "challenge effect" and "announcement effect", are effects that take place before the aforementioned "success effect" and "failure effect" (specific effects), and can be said to be effects that lead to the success effect and failure effect. For this reason, the "opening effect", "selection effect", "challenge effect" and "announcement effect" of this embodiment correspond to one aspect of the "pre-specific effect" of the present invention.

[Effects of Example 1]
In the pachinko game machine 1 of the above-mentioned embodiment 1, the movable piece 150 operates based on the count value by the ball counting means in the V round (benefit determination game) during the jackpot game becoming a predetermined value, that is, the number of balls entering the V attacker (second large winning hole 35) becoming a predetermined number. Then, a plurality of values ("2" to "9" in this example) that can be set as the predetermined value (count value) that triggers the movable piece 150 to operate in the long opening operation pattern (second operation mode) are predefined according to the type of jackpot (see FIG. 47), and when a jackpot occurs, the value corresponding to the jackpot is selected and set (S2009). In other words, the predetermined value (count value) that triggers the movable piece 150 to operate in the long opening operation pattern (second operation mode) is a variable value. For this reason, depending on the value (i.e., the type of jackpot) set (selected) as the predetermined value that triggers the operation of the movable piece 150, the timing of operation of the movable piece 150 can change, such as the movable piece 150 operating at a time when the number of balls entering the V attacker is low, or the movable piece 150 operating at a time when the number of balls entering the V attacker is close to a specified number (in this example, "9"), making it possible to vary the timing of operation of the movable piece 150 in the V round.

The movable piece 150 is a member that guides (distributes) the game ball that entered the V Attacker (second large winning hole 35) to the specific area 39 or the non-specific area 49, and is involved in the game ball in the V Attacker. For this reason, the movable piece 150 is usually provided in a location that is difficult to see at a glance, such as inside or at the back of the V Attacker (see FIG. 46). In addition, the opening pattern of the large winning holes (first large winning hole 30 and second large winning hole 35) during the big win game in this embodiment is the same for the V-passing big win and the V-non-passing big win for each of the 7R big win and the 15R big win, and the opening pattern in the V round (the 5th round in this example) is also the same. These factors, combined with the change (variation) in the operation timing of the movable piece 150 based on the count value (number of balls entering the V attacker) by the ball entry counting means in the V round, make it difficult to determine the specific area passing status (V passing status) of the game ball in the V round, such as "at what timing the game ball that entered the V attacker may pass through the specific area 39" or "whether the game ball has passed through the specific area 39 or not."

As a result, according to the pachinko game machine 1 of Example 1, for example, even if one focuses on the movement (opening pattern) of the V attacker as in the conventional method, it becomes difficult to determine (understand, predict) the result of the V round before it is determined, so it becomes possible to eliminate the decline in interest in the game caused by being able to determine (predict) the result of the V round (whether or not the game ball will pass through a specific area) in advance.

In addition, in the pachinko game machine 1 of Example 1, when the count value by the ball entry counting means in the V round (benefit determination game) reaches a first predetermined value ("1" in this example), the movable piece 150 is operated in a short opening operation pattern (first operation mode), and when the count value reaches a second predetermined value (any of "2" to "9" in this example), the movable piece 150 is operated in a long opening operation pattern (second operation mode). In other words, the count value by the ball entry counting means in the V round (benefit determination game) can change the possibility of the game ball passing through the specific area 39. For this reason, it becomes difficult to determine when a situation occurs in which the game ball has a low or high possibility of passing through the specific area 39 in the V round, and as a result, it becomes difficult to determine the situation in which the game ball passes through the specific area in the V round.

In this case, the situation in which the probability of the game ball passing through the specific area 39 is high will not occur unless at least a number of game balls that causes the count value by the ball entry counting means to exceed the first predetermined value enter the V Attacker. In other words, unless multiple game balls enter the V Attacker, the situation in which the probability of the game ball passing through the specific area 39 is high will not occur. This makes it difficult to determine the situation in which the game ball has passed through the specific area in the V Attacker, and makes it possible to create gameplay that requires multiple game balls to enter the V Attacker.

In addition, in the pachinko game machine 1 of Example 1, multiple values (in this example, "2" to "9") that can be set as the predetermined value (count value) that triggers the movable piece 150 to operate in the long opening operation pattern (second operation mode) are determined according to the type of jackpot, i.e., the type of jackpot pattern of the special pattern (see FIG. 47), and one of the multiple values is set based on the type of jackpot pattern that is stopped and displayed. This makes it possible to vary the operation timing of the movable piece 150 according to the type of jackpot pattern (specific mode) that triggers the execution of a jackpot game, and by increasing the number of types of jackpot patterns, it is also possible to diversify the operation timing of the movable piece 150.

In addition, the pachinko game machine 1 of the first embodiment has a "15R jackpot" and a "7R jackpot" with fewer rounds as jackpots, and when a 7R jackpot occurs, a jackpot challenge performance (a jackpot challenge game) is performed from the beginning of the jackpot game, in which the player attempts to win a jackpot, regardless of whether the jackpot is a "V-passing jackpot" or a "V-non-passing jackpot". Then, the result of the jackpot challenge game, that is, the result of the V-round, is shown to the player through a success performance based on the game ball passing through a specific area in the V-round or a failure performance based on the game ball passing through a non-specific area. For this reason, for example, a situation cannot occur in which a performance is performed to show (announce) the result of the V-round in a state where the result of the V-round has been revealed (disclosed) in advance based on a V-attacker opening pattern, as in the past, so that it is possible to increase the value (reason for existence) of such a performance. This makes it possible to enhance the presentation effect of the jackpot game, including the V round (in this example, the effect of the probability challenge presentation in the 7R jackpot game), and to increase the interest in the jackpot game.

As described above, the operation timing of the movable piece 150 when operating in the long opening operation pattern (second operation mode) can change depending on the type of 7R jackpot (V passing jackpot) that is executed (see FIG. 47), so the execution timing of the successful performance in the probability change challenge performance can also change depending on the type of 7R jackpot (V passing jackpot) that is executed. For this reason, it becomes difficult for the player to determine when the successful performance will be performed during the V round. In other words, it becomes difficult to determine when the game ball that enters the V attacker in the V round will pass through the specific area 39. This makes it possible to effectively increase the player's expectations and attention for the successful performance execution (i.e., V passing) in the probability change challenge performance, and by extension, it becomes possible to increase the interest in the jackpot game, which has fewer rounds than other jackpots.

In particular, in this embodiment, for the "7R 8th jackpot" among the V-passing jackpots, the number of balls (second predetermined value) that triggers the operation when the movable piece 150 operates in the long opening operation pattern (second operation mode) is "9" (see FIG. 47). Also, if the 7R jackpot is a V-non-passing jackpot, a failure effect is performed based on the number of game balls passing through the non-specific area 49 during the V round being "9". Therefore, if a successful effect is not performed even when the number of game balls entering the V attacker becomes 8 during the V round, a successful effect or a failure effect is performed based on the 9th ball entering. And in this embodiment, since the specified number of balls that can enter the big prize opening in one round play is "9", the 9th ball entering corresponds to the last ball entering. For this reason, the special chance challenge presentation of this embodiment makes it possible to give the player a sense of anticipation for a successful special chance (i.e., passing the V) until the final ball hits the V round, which in turn makes it possible to increase the excitement of the jackpot game, including the V round.

In the pachinko game machine 1 of the first embodiment, when a "successful performance" is performed as a performance (specific performance) showing the result of the probability challenge performance in a 7R jackpot game (i.e., the result of the V round), the trigger for the execution of the successful performance is the game ball that entered the V attacker passing through the specific area 39 (S4412), but the passage through the specific area (V passage) is performed by any one of the game balls that enter the V attacker from the second to ninth balls. In other words, when a successful performance is performed, the trigger for the execution of the successful performance is limited to one of the multiple game balls that enter the V attacker. This enhances the sense of connection between the game ball's passage through the specific area (V passage) and the execution of the successful performance, making it possible to give the performance more momentum.

In addition, in the pachinko game machine 1 of Example 1, from the start of the 7R jackpot game until the performance (specific performance) showing the result of the special chance challenge performance is performed, a performance (pre-specific performance) to heighten the player's sense of expectation, such as a selection performance or a challenge performance, is performed (see FIG. 49). This makes it possible to more effectively heighten the player's sense of expectation until the performance (success performance or failure performance) showing the result of the special chance challenge performance is performed (until the result of the V round is revealed).

In addition, in the pachinko game machine 1 of Example 1, a V-passing notification effect is performed when the game ball passes through the specific area 39, and this V-passing notification effect definitively indicates to the player that the game ball has passed through the specific area 39. By performing this V-passing notification effect together with the success effect (see FIG. 49 (e1)), the V-passing notification effect is performed in linkage with the execution of the success effect, which eliminates inconsistencies in the presentation and makes it possible to enhance the presentation effect.

Next, a pachinko gaming machine 1 according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. Below, the differences from the first embodiment will be mainly described, and the parts common to the first embodiment (configuration, effects, etc.) will not be described.

In the above-mentioned embodiment 1, the fifth round during the jackpot game is the V round, and one V round is performed during one jackpot game. In contrast to this, in embodiment 2, multiple V rounds are performed during the jackpot game. Specifically, among the odd-numbered rounds (see FIG. 6) in which the second large prize winning port 35 (upper large prize winning port) is opened during the jackpot game, the third, fifth, and seventh rounds are the V rounds, and a total of three V rounds are performed during one jackpot game. And, if the game ball passes through the specific area 39 in at least one V round out of the multiple V rounds (three in this example), the game state after the jackpot game is configured to be a high probability state based on the V passing. In the following, the third V round (first V round) will be referred to as the "first V round", the fifth V round (second V round) as the "second V round", and the seventh V round (third V round) as the "third V round".

As for the operation timing of the movable piece 150 in the V round in Example 2, as shown in FIG. 50, the number of balls entering the V attacker that triggers the operation, i.e., the count value (predetermined value) that can be counted by the ball number counting means, is predetermined for each of the three V rounds, and the operation timing is set based on this according to the type of jackpot to be executed (S2009). Note that the operation patterns of the movable piece 150 in Example 2 are two, the "short opening operation pattern (first operation mode)" and the "long opening operation pattern (second operation mode)," as in Example 1 described above, and in each V round, the first operation is performed in the "short opening operation pattern" and the second operation is performed in the "long opening operation pattern."

Specifically, in Example 2 as well, in S2009 of the special symbol determination process (FIG. 31), the movable piece operation timing is set according to the type of jackpot. Here, in Example 2, the correspondence between the "jackpot type" and the "first and second predetermined values" shown in FIG. 50 is pre-stored in the ROM of the main control unit 80 (value storage means), and based on this, the "first predetermined value (c1)" and the "second predetermined value (c2)" according to the jackpot type are set for each of the "1st V round", "2nd V round" and "3rd V round". Of these, the first predetermined value (c1) is set to "1" for all jackpots, regardless of the type of jackpot, just like in Example 1 described above.

On the other hand, for the second predetermined value (c2) set for the V-passing jackpot, a value between "2" and "9" is set for any of the first to third V rounds depending on the type of jackpot to be executed. For example, as shown in FIG. 50, if the current jackpot is the 7R first jackpot, the second predetermined value (c2) is not set for the first and third V rounds, and "5" is set as the second predetermined value (c2) for the second V round. Also, if the current jackpot is the 7R sixth jackpot, the second predetermined value (c2) is not set for the first and second V rounds, and "7" is set as the second predetermined value (c2) for the third V round. Also, if the current jackpot is the 7R 5th jackpot, the second predetermined value (c2) is not set for the 1st V round, the second predetermined value (c2) is set to "9" for the 2nd V round, and the second predetermined value (c2) is set to "5" for the 3rd V round. Also, if the current jackpot is the 7R 7th jackpot, the second predetermined value (c2) is not set for the 3rd V round, the second predetermined value (c2) is set to "8" for the 1st V round, and the second predetermined value (c2) is set to "4" for the 2nd V round. Similarly, for other V-passing scheduled jackpots, the second predetermined value (c2) is set based on the correspondence shown in FIG. 50.

Here, the second predetermined value (c2) is set for multiple V rounds among the 1st V round to the 3rd V round, such as the 7R 5th jackpot and the 7R 8th jackpot, assuming that the count value by the ball entry counting means in the preceding V round (the number of balls entering the V attacker) does not reach the value set as the second predetermined value (c2). In other words, when a value equal to or close to the specified number of V attackers ("9" in this example) is set as the second predetermined value (c2), there is a higher risk that the count value by the ball entry counting means (the number of balls entering the V attacker) will not reach the second predetermined value (c2) within the specified opening time of the V attacker (25 seconds in this example) than when a smaller value is set. It is rare that the specified number of game balls do not enter the V Attacker within the specified opening time of the V Attacker, but if the number of balls entering the V Attacker is insufficient despite winning a V-passing jackpot, and the opportunity for the movable piece 150 to operate in the long opening operation pattern (opportunity to pass the V) is missed, this is undesirable from the perspective of fairness in the game and is also cruel to the player. Therefore, in this embodiment, if the second specified value (c2) of the preceding V round is the same as or close to the specified number (in this example, "9"), the second specified value (c2) is also set for the subsequent V round just to be safe.

Also, as shown in FIG. 50, for the 15R 11th jackpot among the jackpots scheduled to pass through the V, the second predetermined value (c2) is set for all of the 1st V round to the 3rd V round. As explained in the above-mentioned embodiment 1, in the case of the 15R 11th jackpot, the opening performance indicating the start of the 15R jackpot game related to the jackpot is a performance that gives the impression of the start of the jackpot game that is premised on the transition to a high probability high base state along with the acquisition of a large number of prize balls (for example, the display of a text image of "super jackpot" or "V jackpot"), and it is normal for a player who sees this to be convinced that the game ball will pass through the V during the V round. Despite this, although the possibility is extremely low, it is not desirable from the perspective of fairness of the game and is also cruel to the player if the number of balls entering the V attacker during the V round is insufficient, as mentioned above, and the opportunity for the movable piece 150 to operate in the long opening operation pattern (opportunity to pass the V) is missed. Therefore, in this embodiment, the second predetermined value (c2) is set for all of the 1st V round to the 3rd V round of the 15R 11th jackpot. Note that the setting method of the first and second predetermined values shown in FIG. 50 is merely an example, and various other methods can be adopted.

Next, the effects (special game effects) performed during the 7R jackpot game in Example 2 will be described. In the above-mentioned Example 1, the special game effects are performed from the start of the 7R jackpot game to the end of the V round (5th round), and if the jackpot being played is a V-passing jackpot, a success effect is performed based on the V-passing in the V round, and if it is a V-non-passing jackpot, a failure effect is performed based on the fact that 9 game balls have passed the non-specific area 49 in the V round (see FIG. 49). In contrast, in this embodiment, since the V rounds are performed in the 3rd round, 5th round, and 7th round, effects betting on the acquisition of the special jackpot (hereinafter also referred to as "special jackpot chance effects") are performed in each of the three V rounds (1st V round to 3rd V round). Then, if an effect (success effect) indicating the success of the special jackpot acquisition is performed in the 1st V round or the 2nd V round, the special jackpot chance effect is not performed in the remaining V rounds, and a round effect in a mode according to the result of the previous special jackpot chance effect (success of the special jackpot acquisition) is performed.

Here, examples of the chance effects for the special probability in Example 2 include effects that indicate the success or failure of the special probability acquisition (V passing) on a V round-by-V round basis, such as a challenge effect that was carried out over rounds 2 to 4 of the 7R jackpot game in Example 1 described above, but which is completed in one V round and ends with success or failure, or an effect that displays "success" and "failure" in a roulette format.

In the 7R jackpot game of Example 2, not only in the V rounds of jackpots that are not scheduled to pass through V (7R 9th jackpot, 7R 10th jackpot), but also in the V rounds of jackpots that are scheduled to pass through V (7R 1st jackpot to 7R 8th jackpot), the second operation of the movable piece 150 (long opening operation pattern) may not be performed, and all game balls that enter the V attacker may pass through the non-specific area 49. For example, in the case of the 7R 1st jackpot, the second operation of the movable piece 150 is not set in the 1st V round, and the second operation of the movable piece 150 is set in the 2nd V round. In such a case, in the previous 1st V round, it is necessary to perform a performance indicating a failure to acquire the probability change, that is, a failure performance based on the fact that 9 game balls have passed through the non-specific area 49 in the V round, as in the above-mentioned Example 1. Similarly, in the case of the 7R 6th jackpot, the second operation of the movable piece 150 is not set in the 1st V round and the 2nd V round, and the second operation of the movable piece 150 is set in the 3rd V round. In such a case, it is necessary to perform a failure performance in the previous 1st V round and the 2nd V round. Therefore, in this embodiment, instead of the non-specific area detection sensor processing (S208) of Example 1 shown in FIG. 36, the non-specific area detection sensor processing (S208a) shown in FIG. 51 is performed. Note that in FIG. 51, the same processing as the non-specific area detection sensor processing (S208) of Example 1 is given the same step number as Example 1.

As shown in FIG. 51, the non-specific area detection sensor processing (S208a) of Example 2 is the same as that of Example 1 except that the processing of S2415 and S2416 is added to the non-specific area detection sensor processing (S208) of Example 1. In S2415, it is determined whether or not a V round (any of the 1st V round to the 3rd V round) of a jackpot game related to any of the "7R 1st jackpot to 7R 8th jackpot" which are V passing scheduled jackpots is being executed (S2415). If it is being executed (YES in S2415), it proceeds to the processing of S2416, and if it is not being executed (NO in S2415), it ends the processing.

In S2416, it is determined whether the V flag is ON (S2416). If the V flag is ON (YES in S2416), the process is terminated. If the V flag is not ON (NO in S2416), that is, if the V flag is OFF, the process proceeds to S2413. The V flag is a flag that can be set in the specific area sensor detection process (FIG. 35), and is set ON when the game ball is detected by the specific area sensor 39a during the V round (passing through the specific area 39). If it is determined in S2416 that the V flag is ON, the movable piece 150 performs a second operation (long opening operation pattern) in the V round in this jackpot game, based on the count value by the ball count counting means (number of balls entering the V attacker) becoming the second predetermined value (c2), and the game ball passes through the specific area 39. In this case, since a success effect and a V passage notification effect are performed based on the V passage (S4414, S4415), there is no need to perform a failure effect triggered by passing through non-specific area 49. Therefore, if it is determined in S2416 that the V flag is ON, the processing ends as is.

On the other hand, if it is determined in S2416 that the V flag is not ON (OFF) (NO in S2416), there is a possibility that nine game balls will pass through the non-specific area 49 before the second operation (long opening operation pattern) of the movable piece 150 is performed in the V round (1st V round to 3rd V round) of this V-passing jackpot (7R 1st jackpot to 7R 8th jackpot), so in this case, the process moves to S2413. This makes it possible to perform a failure presentation based on nine game balls passing through the non-specific area 49 before the second operation (long opening operation pattern) of the movable piece 150 is performed (before the V passes) in the 1st V round or 2nd V round of the V-passing jackpot (7R 1st jackpot to 7R 8th jackpot).

[Effects of Example 2]
In the pachinko game machine 1 of the above-mentioned second embodiment, a V round (a bonus determination game) is performed multiple times (three times in this example) during a jackpot game. Then, for at least one of the multiple V rounds, a predetermined value (second predetermined value) that triggers the movable piece 150 to operate in the long opening operation pattern (second operation mode) is set according to the type of jackpot, and the V round for setting the predetermined value and/or the value set as the predetermined value are made different according to the type of jackpot. This makes it possible to vary the operation timing of the movable piece 150 in multiple V rounds. In other words, it becomes difficult to know in which V round the movable piece 150 operates in the long opening operation pattern (second operation mode) and at what timing the movable piece 150 operates in the long opening operation pattern (second operation mode). As a result, it becomes difficult to determine the passing status of the game ball in a specific area through multiple V rounds.

In particular, in Example 2, by setting various predetermined values (second predetermined values) that trigger the movable piece 150 to operate in the long opening operation pattern (second operation mode) for each of the multiple V-rounds, it is possible to make it possible for the possibility of the game ball passing through the specific area 39 to change in each V-round depending on the count value (number of balls entering the V attacker) by the ball counting means. This makes it difficult to determine the status of the game ball passing through the specific area in multiple V-rounds.

In addition, in the pachinko game machine 1 of Example 2, a chance effect is performed in which the player bets on winning a chance in each of the multiple V rounds during a jackpot game. Until a successful effect is performed, it is difficult to determine in which V round the movable piece 150 will operate in the long opening operation pattern (second operation mode) and at what timing the movable piece 150 will operate in the long opening operation pattern (second operation mode) and the game ball will pass through the specific area 39. This makes it possible to effectively increase the player's expectations and attention for the successful effect, which in turn increases the effect of the jackpot game including the V round (in this example, the effect of the chance effect of the chance effect in the 7R jackpot game), and makes the jackpot game more interesting.

In particular, in Example 2, by diversifying the predetermined value (second predetermined value) that triggers the movable piece 150 to operate in the long opening operation pattern (second operation mode) through multiple V-rounds, it is possible to diversify the operation timing of the movable piece 150 (the timing at which the game ball may pass through the specific area 39) and the execution timing of a successful presentation based on the game ball passing through the specific area 39, which has been made easier for the game ball to pass through by the operation of the movable piece 150. This makes it possible for the pachinko game machine 1 of Example 2 to make it more difficult to determine whether the game ball has passed through the specific area.

In addition, in the pachinko game machine 1 of Example 2, a predetermined value (second predetermined value) that triggers the movable piece 150 to operate in the long opening operation pattern (second operation mode) is set for at least two or more V rounds out of the multiple V rounds during a jackpot game. Even if the movable piece 150 that should operate in the long opening operation pattern in a previous V round does not operate and the V round ends, it is possible to cause the movable piece 150 to operate in the long opening operation pattern again in a later V round to cause a V passage. This makes it possible to prevent situations from occurring in which, despite a jackpot scheduled to pass V, the number of balls entering the V attacker in the V round is insufficient, resulting in the jackpot game ending without passing V.

Although Examples 1 and 2 have been described above as embodiments of the present invention, the present invention is not limited to these, and is not limited to the wording of each claim as long as it does not deviate from the scope of each claim, and is within the scope of what a person skilled in the art can easily replace, and it is possible to appropriately add improvements based on the knowledge that a person skilled in the art would normally have.

For example, in the above-mentioned first and second embodiments, a "first predetermined value (c1)" and a "second predetermined value (c2)" are set as the number of balls entering the V attacker (a counted value by the ball number counting means) that triggers the operation of the movable piece 150, and the "first predetermined value (c1)" is a fixed value ("1" in the embodiment) that specifies the operation timing in the short opening operation pattern (first operation mode), and the "second predetermined value (c2)" is a variable value ("2" to "9" in the embodiment) that specifies the operation timing in the long opening operation pattern (second operation mode) (see Figures 47 and 50). However, the "first predetermined value (c1)" does not need to be a fixed value, and may be a variable value like the "second predetermined value (c2)".

In addition, in the above-mentioned Examples 1 and 2, not only the second predetermined value (variable value, in the example, "2" to "9") that specifies the operation timing in the long opening operation pattern (second operation mode) of the movable piece 150, but also the first predetermined value (fixed value, in the example, "1") that specifies the operation timing in the short opening operation pattern (first operation mode) is set each time a jackpot is confirmed (each time a jackpot game starts) according to the type of jackpot (type of jackpot pattern) (S2009). However, if it is determined that the movable piece 150 is to operate in the short-open operation pattern (first operation mode) whenever the number of balls entering the V attacker in a V round (the count value by the ball number counting means) reaches a first predetermined value ("1" in this embodiment), then the first predetermined value, which corresponds to this fixed value, may be set from the beginning as a preset value (default value) in the program, and in S2009, only the second predetermined value, which corresponds to a variable value, may be set according to the type of jackpot (jackpot pattern).

In addition, in the above-mentioned embodiments 1 and 2, the movable piece 150 can operate a maximum of two times in one V round (one V round), but it may operate three or more times. In this case, for example, it is possible to increase the number of first operations (short opening operation pattern) of the movable piece 150 in the above-mentioned embodiment to two, three, or four times, or to increase the number of second operations (long opening operation pattern) of the movable piece 150 in a V-passing jackpot to two, three, or four times, or to increase the number of both. In this way, for example, by setting various relationships between the number of operations in each operation pattern of the movable piece 150 in a V round and the predetermined value (counted value by the ball count counting means) that triggers the operation of the operation (for example, the second or third time) depending on the type of jackpot, it is possible to make the number of operations and operation timing of the movable piece 150 more diverse. This makes it possible to make it even more difficult to determine the passing status of the game ball in a specific area, and to improve the interest of the game machine equipped with a V round.

In addition, in the above-mentioned first and second embodiments, the operation patterns of the movable piece 150 in the V-round were two types: a short opening operation pattern in which the movable piece 150 is operated for 80 ms (an operation pattern in which the possibility of the game ball passing through the specific area 39 is relatively low) and a long opening operation pattern in which the movable piece 150 is operated for 3000 ms (an operation pattern in which the possibility of the game ball passing through the specific area 39 is relatively high). However, more operation patterns may be provided. For example, it is also possible to provide various operation patterns in which the possibility of the game ball passing through the specific area 39 can be changed more finely, such as a pattern in which the movable piece 150 is operated for 500 ms, a pattern in which the movable piece 150 is operated for 1000 ms, a pattern in which the movable piece 150 is operated for 2000 ms, and a pattern in which the movable piece 150 is operated for 5000 ms. In this case, for example, as described above, by increasing the number of times the movable piece 150 moves in one V-round and setting various relationships between the type of jackpot, the movement pattern of the movable piece 150, and the number of balls that enter the V attacker (the number counted by the ball counting means) that triggers the movement, it becomes possible to set the movement mode and movement timing of the movable piece 150 in a more diverse manner.

For example, the movable piece 150 has four operation patterns: "Pattern A with an operation time of 80 ms," "Pattern B with an operation time of 500 ms," "Pattern C with an operation time of 1000 ms," and "Pattern D with an operation time of 3000 ms," and there are three types of jackpots: the first jackpot, the second jackpot, and the third jackpot. In the first jackpot, the movable piece 150 is operated in pattern A when the count value (number of balls entered into the V attacker) by the ball count counting means is "1," in pattern C when the count value is "3," and in pattern B when the count value is "6." In the second jackpot, the movable piece 150 is operated in pattern B when the count value is "2," in pattern C when the count value is "4," and in pattern B when the count value is "7." Furthermore, in the third jackpot, the movable piece 150 will operate in pattern A if the count is "1", in pattern C if the count is "5", and in pattern D if the count is "9".

In this way, by determining the operation pattern and operation timing (counting value that triggers the operation) of the movable piece 150 in various ways according to the type of jackpot, it is possible to diversify the possibility that a game ball that entered the V attacker during a V round will pass through the V and the timing at which it can pass through the V. This makes it even more difficult to determine the situation in which a game ball passes through a specific area in a V round, making it possible to increase the interest of a game machine equipped with a V round. Note that the above-mentioned operation pattern of the movable piece 150 and the setting mode of the number of balls that enter the V attacker (counting value by the ball number counting means) that triggers the operation of the movable piece 150 are merely examples, and various modes can be adopted. In addition, it is also possible to consider not only the operation time but also, for example, the number of operations, for the operation pattern of the movable piece 150, which determines the possibility of a game ball passing through the V.

In addition, in the above-mentioned first and second embodiments, in the V rounds of both the V-passing jackpot and the V-non-passing jackpot, when the number of balls entering the V attacker (the count value by the ball counting means) becomes "1", the first operation of the movable piece 150 is performed in the short opening operation pattern, but for the V-passing jackpot, it is not necessary to set the operation of the movable piece 150 in the short opening operation pattern. This is because the V-passing jackpot is a jackpot that is premised on the V passing in the V round.

In addition, in the above-mentioned first and second embodiments, the movable piece 150 can move multiple times (up to two times in the embodiment) per V-round, but the number of times the movable piece 150 moves per V-round may be one. In this case, for example, depending on the type of jackpot, the movement pattern of the movable piece 150 in the V-round can be set to a movement pattern in which the game ball is less likely to pass through a specific area (for example, a short opening movement pattern) or a movement pattern in which the game ball is more likely to pass through a specific area (for example, a long opening movement pattern), and for each movement, the number of balls entering the V-attacker that triggers the movement (the count value by the ball number counting means) can be set. By doing this, as in the above-mentioned first and second embodiments, it is possible to vary the movement timing of the movable piece 150 in the V-round, making it difficult to determine the state in which the game ball passes through the specific area.

In addition, in the above-mentioned first and second embodiments, there are two types of rounds for the jackpot game, "7R" and "15R", but the number of rounds is not limited to this, and the types of rounds (i.e., types of jackpots) may also be three or more types, or only one type. Furthermore, the opening patterns of the first large prize opening 30 and the second large prize opening 35 (V attacker) are not limited to the above-mentioned first and second embodiments, and for example, the opening time and number of openings per round, the types of large prize openings opened in each round, the opening order, etc. can take various forms.

In addition, in the above-mentioned first and second embodiments, the operation pattern (second operation mode) of the movable piece 150 in which the possibility of the game ball passing through the specific area 39 is relatively high is to open the specific area 39 for 3000 ms (3 seconds), but this is not limited to this. For example, various modes can be adopted, such as a mode in which an operation to open the specific area 39 for 1 second is performed three times, a mode in which an operation to open the specific area 39 for 1 second is performed once and then an operation to open the specific area 39 for 2 seconds is performed once, a mode in which an operation to open the specific area 39 for 10 seconds is performed once, or a mode in which the specific area 39 is kept open until the end of the V-round.

In addition, in the above-mentioned Examples 1 and 2, a "probability change challenge effect" or a "probability change chance effect" is performed as a jackpot game effect (special game effect) related to a 7R jackpot, but the form of the jackpot game effect is not limited to the above-mentioned Examples 1 and 2. For example, as a jackpot game effect related to a 7R jackpot, a so-called "battle effect" in which an ally character and an enemy character fight each other may be performed, and a scene in which the ally character wins (the enemy character loses) in the battle effect may be displayed to indicate the successful acquisition of the probability change. In addition, in the above-mentioned Example 2, a probability change chance effect is performed in each of multiple V rounds, but as in the above-mentioned Example 1, a series of effects may be performed across multiple rounds. In this case, it is preferable to indicate whether or not the probability change has been successfully acquired (the result of the V round) in accordance with the end timing of the final V round. This is because the timing of the V passage (the operation timing of the movable piece 150) can change in various ways.

In addition, in the above-mentioned first and second embodiments, the movable piece 150 is operated based on the count value by the ball entry counting means in the V round reaching a predetermined value (first predetermined value, second predetermined value), but the movable piece 150 may be operated based on the count value by the discharged number counting means reaching a predetermined value (first predetermined value, second predetermined value). In other words, the count value by the discharged number counting means may be used as the criterion for triggering the operation of the movable piece 150 instead of the count value by the ball entry counting means. In principle, the count value by the discharged number counting means before the V passes in the V round (i.e., the number of game balls detected by the non-specific area detection sensor 49a) is equal to the count value by the ball entry counting means before the V passes in the V round (i.e., the number of game balls detected by the second large winning hole sensor 35a), and the count value (discharged number) by the discharged number counting means is ultimately the number of game balls entering the V attacker. Furthermore, if the movable piece 150 is configured to operate based on the count value by the discharge number counting means, it is possible to more effectively prevent V passage due to fraudulent acts. The discharge detection sensor (e.g., non-specific area detection sensor 49a) that is the subject of counting by the discharge number counting means is usually located downstream (rearward) of the ball entry detection sensor (e.g., second large winning opening sensor 35a) that is the subject of counting by the ball entry counting means, on the path along which the game balls flow down in the V attacker (second large winning opening 35), and it is difficult to commit fraud against a discharge detection sensor located in such a positional relationship.

When the movable piece 150 is operated based on the count value by the discharge number counting means reaching a predetermined value (first predetermined value, second predetermined value), the value set as this predetermined value is a value (less than or equal to "prescribed number - 1") that is less than the prescribed number of V attackers (for example, "9"). When the count value by the discharge number counting means in a V round reaches the prescribed number, the prescribed number of balls entering the V attacker in that V round (the last ball entering) has already been detected, the opening and closing member 37 has closed the V attacker, and balls cannot enter the V attacker. In other words, the V round has ended, and even if the movable piece 150 is operated under such circumstances, there are no game balls that can pass through the specific area 39.

In addition, when the movable piece 150 is operated based on the count value by the discharge number counting means becoming a predetermined value (first predetermined value, second predetermined value), it is desirable to set the operation pattern (operation time, number of operations, etc.) of the movable piece 150 taking into consideration the time and distance until the game ball that enters the V attacker after the game ball that triggered the operation of the movable piece 150 (i.e., the discharged ball) reaches the specific area 39. As in the above-mentioned Examples 1 and 2, when the movable piece 150 is operated based on the count value by the entering ball number counting means becoming a predetermined value (first predetermined value, second predetermined value), the game ball that triggered the operation (i.e., the game ball that entered the V attacker) itself may pass through the specific area 39, but when the movable piece 150 is operated based on the count value by the discharge number counting means becoming a predetermined value (first predetermined value, second predetermined value), the game ball that triggered the operation (discharged ball) itself does not pass through the specific area 39.

That is, when the movable piece 150 is operated based on the count value by the discharge number counting means becoming a predetermined value (first predetermined value, second predetermined value), the game ball that can pass through the specific area 39 that has become passable (opened) by the operation is the game ball (subsequent game ball) that enters the V attacker in the same V round after the game ball (discharged ball) that triggered the operation. Therefore, it is appropriate that the long opening operation pattern (second operation mode) of the movable piece 150 when the movable piece 150 is operated based on the count value by the discharge number counting means becoming a predetermined value (first predetermined value, second predetermined value) is an operation pattern in which the subsequent game ball can pass through the specific area 39, such as, for example, a longer operation time (4 seconds or more) than in the above-mentioned Examples 1 and 2, or maintaining the operation state until the end of the V round. On the other hand, the short opening operation pattern (first operation mode) may be a mode in which the possibility of the game ball passing through the specific area 39 is low (substantially impossible), as in the above-mentioned Examples 1 and 2.

In addition, in the above-mentioned first and second embodiments, a distinction was made between a "V-passing jackpot" and a "V-non-passing jackpot", and the predetermined value (second predetermined value) that triggers the movable piece 150 to operate in the long opening operation pattern (second operation mode) was set only for the "V-passing jackpot". However, it is also possible to set a predetermined value that triggers the movable piece 150 to operate in a manner that allows the game ball to pass through the specific area 39 for all jackpots without distinguishing between a "V-passing jackpot" and a "V-non-passing jackpot". In this case, the operation pattern of the movable piece 150 may be, for example, a short opening operation pattern (first operation mode) similar to the above-mentioned first and second embodiments, and an operation pattern (third operation mode) that allows the game ball to pass through the specific area 39 but is more difficult to pass through than the long opening operation pattern of the above-mentioned first and second embodiments, or only the third operation mode may be set without providing a short opening operation pattern (first operation mode).

In this case, the third operation mode may be, for example, a mode in which the timing at which the game ball reaches the specific area 39 and the timing at which the specific area 39 is opened are more limited than in the above-mentioned first and second embodiments. Specifically, the operation time of the movable piece 150 may be set to 1 second, or an operation (opening of the specific area) with an operation time of 0.5 to 1 second may be performed multiple times (e.g., three times), so that the game ball can pass through the specific area 39, but the passage is not guaranteed (promised) (the probability of passing is not 100%). In this way, it is possible to increase the player's sense of tension (excitement) about passing through the V in the V round. In this case, it is desirable to provide multiple predetermined values (counted values by the ball entry counting means or ball ejection counting means) that trigger the operation of the movable piece 150 in one V round, so that the movable piece 150 can operate multiple times in one V round, or multiple V rounds can be performed during one jackpot game, so that the movable piece 150 can operate multiple times in the third operating mode during one jackpot game. This is because it increases the player's sense of tension and anticipation regarding the V passage, making the jackpot game (V round) even more enjoyable.

In addition, in the above-mentioned first and second embodiments, a game privilege is given to the player in the form of a high probability state occurring based on the game ball passing through a specific area 39 in a V-round during a jackpot game (special game), but the privilege in this invention is not limited to the occurrence of a high probability state. For example, the content (type) of the privilege is not important as long as it provides some kind of benefit to the player, such as a high base state that increases the frequency with which the game ball enters the starting hole, or a fluctuation time reduction state (time reduction state) that shortens the fluctuation time of the identification information compared to normal. In addition, the privilege may provide one or multiple privileges based on the game ball passing through a specific area.

In the above-mentioned first and second embodiments, the value set in the probability change counter based on the game ball passing through a specific area is set to "200", and when the number of times the special symbol hit judgment is performed in a high probability state reaches "200", the next and subsequent special symbol hit judgments are performed in a low probability state, i.e., the game machine is designed to not necessarily guarantee a high probability state until the next big hit occurs (so-called "V-guaranteed ST machine"). However, the value set in the probability change counter can be set appropriately according to the specifications (specs) of the game machine. For example, when generating a high probability state based on the game ball passing through a specific area, the probability change counter is set to "10000", and the present invention can be applied to a specification (so-called "V-guaranteed loop machine") in which a high probability state is guaranteed until the number of times the special symbol hit judgment is performed reaches 10,000, in other words, until the next big hit occurs. Alternatively, in addition to the probability variation counter, for example, a counter (jackpot counter) is provided that counts the number of times a jackpot occurs in a high probability state, and when the number of jackpot occurrences (count value of the jackpot counter) reaches a predetermined number (for example, "5"), the machine is always (forcibly) put into a low probability state after the end of the jackpot game related to the predetermined number of jackpots (for example, the "fifth jackpot") (a so-called "V-certain set machine").

In addition, in the above-mentioned first and second embodiments, the consumption of the second special symbol reservation (display of the change in the second special symbol) is prioritized over the consumption of the first special symbol reservation (display of the change in the first special symbol) (so-called "priority consumption" or "priority change"). However, this is not limited to this. For example, the consumption of the first special symbol reservation (display of the change in the first special symbol) and the consumption of the second special symbol reservation (display of the change in the second special symbol) may be performed in the order of the start ball entry, or the consumption of the first special symbol reservation and the consumption of the second special symbol reservation may be performed in parallel (so-called "simultaneous consumption" or "simultaneous change"). Also, the consumption of the first special symbol reservation (display of the change in the first special symbol) may be prioritized over the consumption of the second special symbol reservation (display of the change in the second special symbol).

[others]
The present invention and other inventions related to the present invention (related inventions) will be disclosed below for reference.

(1-1) an identification information display means for variably displaying identification information based on the entry of a game ball into a starting hole;
a special game execution means for executing a special game based on the identification information being stopped and displayed in a specific manner;
A variable ball entrance that can be opened to allow game balls to enter;
A bonus awarding means for awarding a predetermined bonus based on at least one of the game balls entering the variable ball entrance passing through a predetermined specific area;
a bonus determination game execution means for executing a bonus determination game in which the variable ball entrance is opened at a predetermined time during the special game, and whether or not the bonus is to be awarded is determined based on whether or not the game ball passes through the specific area;
A game ball detection means capable of detecting a game ball that has entered the variable ball entrance;
A counting means for counting the number of game balls detected by the game ball detection means;
Equipped with
The game ball detected by the game ball detection means passes through the specific area or an area other than the specific area,
The gaming machine is characterized in that the possibility of the gaming ball passing through the specific area can be changed depending on the count value by the counting means in the bonus determination game.

(1-2) In the gaming machine of (1-1) above,
The possibility of passing when the count value in the bonus determination game is a predetermined first count value is lower than when the count value in the bonus determination game is a predetermined second count value that is greater than the first count value.

(1-3) In the gaming machine of (1-2) above,
There are multiple types of specific aspects,
When the identification information is displayed in the specific manner, the identification information is displayed in any one of the plurality of specific manners,
A gaming machine, characterized in that, of the first count value and the second count value, at least the second count value is a value that can vary depending on the type of the specific mode when the identification information is displayed stopped in the specific mode.

(1-4) In any one of the gaming machines (1-1) to (1-3) above,
The bonus determination game is executed multiple times during the special game.

(1-5) In any one of the gaming machines (1-1) to (1-4) above,
A movable member capable of guiding a game ball that has entered the variable ball entrance to the specific area is provided,
The movable member is operable based on the count value in the bonus determination game,
The gaming machine is characterized in that the possibility of a gaming ball passing through the specific area can be changed depending on the operating mode of the movable member when the movable member operates during the bonus determination game.

(1-6) In the gaming machine of (1-5) above,
A gaming machine characterized in that there are a plurality of count values that trigger the operation of the movable member in one bonus determination game.

(1-7) In the gaming machine of (1-5) or (1-6) above,
The variable ball entrance is capable of accepting a predetermined number of game balls,
The movable member is operable when the count value in the bonus determination game reaches the specified number,
A gaming machine characterized in that a specific presentation can be executed based on the passage of a gaming ball into the specific area after the movable member is operated.

(2-1) an identification information display means for variably displaying identification information based on the entry of a game ball into a starting hole;
a special game execution means for executing a special game based on the identification information being stopped and displayed in a specific manner;
A variable ball entrance that can be opened to allow game balls to enter;
A movable member capable of guiding a game ball that has entered the variable ball entrance to a specific area;
A bonus awarding means for awarding a predetermined bonus based on at least one of the game balls that entered the variable ball entrance passing through the specific area;
a bonus determination game execution means for executing a bonus determination game in which the variable ball entrance is opened at a predetermined time during the special game, and whether or not the bonus is to be awarded is determined based on whether or not the game ball passes through the specific area;
A game ball detection means capable of detecting a game ball that has entered the variable ball entrance;
A counting means for counting the number of game balls detected by the game ball detection means;
A gaming machine comprising:
the movable member is operable when a count value by the counting means reaches a predetermined value in the bonus determination game;
a value storage means for storing a plurality of values that can be set as the predetermined value;
a predetermined value setting means for setting a value selected from a plurality of values stored in the value storage means as the predetermined value when the special game is executed;
A gaming machine comprising:

(2-2) In the gaming machine of (2-1) above,
There are multiple types of specific aspects,
When the identification information is displayed in the specific manner, the identification information is displayed in any one of the plurality of specific manners,
the plurality of values are predetermined according to the plurality of specific aspects,
The predetermined value setting means sets the predetermined value to a value selected from the plurality of values based on the type of the specific mode when the identification information is displayed stopped in the specific mode.

(2-3) In the gaming machine of (2-1) or (2-2) above,
The bonus determination game is executed multiple times during the special game,
The predetermined value setting means is capable of setting the predetermined value for at least one of a plurality of bonus determination games performed during the special game.

(2-4) In any one of the gaming machines (2-1) to (2-3) above,
When there are a plurality of the predetermined values for one of the bonus determination games, the movable member operates each time the count value by the counting means becomes one of the plurality of the predetermined values in the bonus determination game,
The gaming machine, wherein the predetermined value setting means sets at least one of the plurality of predetermined values.

(3-1) an identification information display means for variably displaying identification information based on the entry of a game ball into a starting hole;
a special game execution means for executing a special game based on the identification information being stopped and displayed in a specific manner;
A variable ball entrance that can be opened to allow game balls to enter;
A movable member capable of guiding a game ball that has entered the variable ball entrance to a specific area;
A bonus awarding means for awarding a predetermined bonus based on at least one of the game balls that entered the variable ball entrance passing through the specific area;
a bonus determination game execution means for executing a bonus determination game in which the variable ball entrance is opened at a predetermined time during the special game, and whether or not the bonus is to be awarded is determined based on whether or not the game ball passes through the specific area;
A game ball detection means capable of detecting a game ball that has entered the variable ball entrance;
A counting means for counting the number of game balls detected by the game ball detection means;
Equipped with
The movable member is operated when the count value of the counting means reaches a predetermined value during the bonus determination game,
A gaming machine characterized in that the predetermined value is configured to be variable.

(3-2) In the gaming machine of (3-1) above,
There are multiple types of specific aspects,
When the identification information is displayed in the specific manner, the identification information is displayed in any one of the plurality of specific manners,
A gaming machine, characterized in that the predetermined value can be changed depending on the type of the specific mode when the identification information is displayed in a stopped state in the specific mode.

(3-3) In the gaming machine of (3-1) or (3-2) above,
The bonus determination game is executed multiple times during the special game,
The predetermined value may be changed in each of a plurality of bonus determination games played during the special game.

(3-4) In any one of the gaming machines (3-1) to (3-3) above,
When there are a plurality of the predetermined values for one bonus determination game, the movable member operates each time the count value by the counting means in the bonus determination game reaches one of the plurality of predetermined values, and at least one of the plurality of predetermined values can change.

(4-1) an identification information display means for variably displaying identification information based on the entry of a game ball into a starting hole;
a special game execution means for executing a special game based on the identification information being stopped and displayed in a specific manner;
A variable ball entrance that can be opened to allow game balls to enter;
A movable member capable of guiding a game ball that has entered the variable ball entrance to a specific area;
A bonus awarding means for awarding a predetermined bonus based on at least one of the game balls that entered the variable ball entrance passing through the specific area;
a bonus determination game execution means for executing a bonus determination game in which the variable ball entrance is opened at a predetermined time during the special game, and whether or not the bonus is to be awarded is determined based on whether or not the game ball passes through the specific area;
A game ball detection means capable of detecting a game ball that has entered the variable ball entrance;
A counting means for counting the number of game balls detected by the game ball detection means;
Equipped with
The movable member is operable based on a count value by the counting means in the bonus determination game,
A gaming machine, characterized in that the operating mode of the movable member when it moves can be changed depending on the count value.

(4-2) In the gaming machine of (4-1) above,
A gaming machine characterized in that the movable member has, as its operating modes, at least a first operating mode and a second operating mode in which the probability of a gaming ball passing through the specific area is higher than in the first operating mode.

(4-3) In the gaming machine of (4-2) above,
When the count value in the bonus determination game becomes a predetermined first count value, the movable member operates in a first operating mode.
a second count value being a predetermined second count value that is greater than the first count value when the movable member operates based on the count value in the bonus determination game, the second count value being the operating mode of the movable member when the movable member operates based on the count value in the bonus determination game.

(4-4) In any one of the gaming machines (4-1) to (4-3) above,
There are multiple types of specific aspects,
When the identification information is displayed in the specific manner, the identification information is displayed in any one of the plurality of specific manners,
a count value that triggers the operation of the movable member can be varied depending on the type of the specific mode when the identification information is stopped and displayed in the specific mode.

(5-1) an identification information display means for variably displaying identification information based on the entry of a game ball into a starting hole;
a special game execution means for executing a special game based on the identification information being stopped and displayed in a specific manner;
A variable ball entrance that can be opened to allow game balls to enter;
A movable member capable of guiding a game ball that has entered the variable ball entrance to a specific area;
A bonus awarding means for awarding a predetermined bonus based on at least one of the game balls that entered the variable ball entrance passing through the specific area;
a bonus determination game execution means for executing a bonus determination game in which the variable ball entrance is opened at a predetermined time during the special game, and whether or not the bonus is to be awarded is determined based on whether or not the game ball passes through the specific area;
A game ball detection means capable of detecting a game ball that has entered the variable ball entrance;
A counting means for counting the number of game balls detected by the game ball detection means;
Equipped with
the movable member is operable when a count value by the counting means reaches a predetermined value in the bonus determination game;
A gaming machine characterized in that, after the movable member is operated, a specific presentation can be executed based on whether or not a gaming ball has passed through the specific area.

(5-2) In the gaming machine of (5-1) above,
A gaming machine characterized in that the predetermined value is a variable value.

(5-3) In the gaming machine of (5-2) above,
There are multiple types of specific aspects,
When the identification information is displayed in the specific manner, the identification information is displayed in any one of the plurality of specific manners,
The gaming machine, characterized in that the predetermined value can be changed depending on the type of the specific mode when the identification information is displayed in a stopped state in the specific mode.

(5-4) In any one of the gaming machines (5-1) to (5-3) above,
The variable ball entrance is capable of accepting a predetermined number of game balls,
The predetermined number can be set as the predetermined value,
A gaming machine characterized in that, when the movable member operates based on the count value by the counting means reaching the specified number in the bonus determination game, the specified number of gaming balls may pass through the specific area.

(5-5) In any one of the gaming machines (5-1) to (5-4) above,
A gaming machine characterized in that it is capable of executing a predetermined pre-specific performance which is an effect that is carried out before the execution of the specific performance and which leads to the specific performance.

1 Pachinko game machine, 7 Image display device, 7a Display screen, 7b Performance pattern display area (performance pattern display section), 8 Performance pattern, 20 First start port, 21 Second start port, 30 First large prize port, 35 Second large prize port (V attacker), 35a Second large prize port sensor, 39 Specific area, 39a Specific area sensor, 41a First special pattern display (first special pattern display section), 41b Second special pattern display (second special pattern display section), 49 Non-specific area, 49a Non-specific area sensor, 80 Main control board (main control section), 90 Sub-control board (sub-control section), 100 Image control board (image control section), 150 Movable piece.

Claims (1)

An identification information display means for variably displaying identification information based on the entry of a game ball into a starting hole;
a special game execution means for executing a special game based on the identification information being stopped and displayed in a specific manner;
A variable ball entrance that can be opened to allow game balls to enter;
A movable member capable of guiding a game ball that has entered the variable ball entrance to a specific area or a non-specific area;
A bonus awarding means for awarding a predetermined bonus based on the fact that the gaming ball that entered the variable ball entrance passes through the specific area;
a bonus determination game execution means for executing a bonus determination game in which the variable ball entrance is opened at a predetermined time during the special game, and whether or not the bonus is to be awarded is determined based on whether or not the game ball passes through the specific area;
A ball entry detection means capable of detecting entry of a game ball into the variable ball entry opening;
A gaming machine equipped with a discharge detection means capable of detecting the discharge of a gaming ball from the variable ball entrance ,
the movable member is operable when the number of balls detected by the ball detection means reaches a predetermined value during the bonus game,
When the movable member is not in motion, the game ball cannot pass through the specific area, and when the movable member is in motion and in a motion state, the game ball can pass through the specific area;
The operation modes of the movable member when it operates in the bonus determination game include a first operation mode in which the movable member is in the operation state for a first time when the number of detections by the ball entry detection means reaches the predetermined value, and a second operation mode in which the movable member is in the operation state for a second time longer than the first time, which is an operation performed after the operation in the first operation mode;
When the movable member operates in the second operating mode, the possibility of the game ball passing through the specific area is higher than when the movable member operates in the first operating mode;
The special game execution means may execute, as the special game, a first special game in which the movable member is operable in the first operation mode and inoperable in the second operation mode in the bonus determination game, or may execute a second special game in which the movable member is operable in the first operation mode and in which the movable member is operable in the second operation mode after an operation according to the first operation mode in the bonus determination game,
When the identification information is statically displayed in the specific manner, the identification information is statically displayed in any one of a plurality of predetermined specific manners,
the plurality of specific modes includes a predetermined specific mode that can be displayed in a stopped state when the first special game and the second special game are executed ,
By determining whether the number of balls entering the variable ball entrance matches the number of balls discharged, an abnormality in which the number of balls entering and the number of balls discharged do not match is monitored.
A gaming machine characterized by:

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